President Kovind accepts Harsimrat Kaur's resignation; BJP alleges she resigned under pressure

President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday accepted the resignation of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who resigned from the Union Council of Ministers last evening.

Furthermore, the President has directed Narendra Singh Tomar to take the additional charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

Akali Dal's Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet on Thursday as her party faced heat from farmers in Punjab over its initial support to ally BJP's farm sector bills. 

Harsimrat Kaur Badal took to social media to inform that she has resigned from the Modi cabinet. She tweeted, "I have resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter & sister."

I have resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter & sister.

— Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) September 17, 2020

During a discussion on two of the farm bills, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, Harsimrat's husband and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal announced in Lok Sabha that she will quit the government.

"The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution," according to a release from Rashtrapati Bhavan."

Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Narendra Singh Tomar, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in addition to his existing portfolios," it said.

The Akali Dal had earlier protested against the first of three such bills, which has already been passed by the Lok Sabha.

In his speech on two of the farm bills, Sukhbir Singh Badal said the proposed laws will "destroy" the 50 years of hard work put in by successive Punjab governments and farmers to build the agriculture sector, and recalled Punjab's contribution in making India self-sufficient in food grain production as he vehemently opposed the bills.

Blame game begins over Harsimrat's resignation

Reacting on the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that she resigned under the pressure of Punjab`s local politics.

BJP spokesperson on economic affairs Gopal Kirshna Agarwal said, "The three agricultural bills passed in the Parliament on Thursday will benefit the farmers. But the way the Congress has spread lies in Punjab, I think the SAD has also come under the pressure of local politics that's why Harsimrat Kaur resigned. The SAD is also aware of the benefits to farmers from the bills."

He said that the opposition is spreading lies about the agricultural reforms in a similar way it did at the time of the Citizenship Amendment Act adding that the government is trying to meet the demands of the farmers through these three bills.

(With inputs from agencies)