Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today appealed to the Central Government to resolve the grievances of protesting students, who were suppressed during their march to the Parliament on Monday, even as he condemned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for adopting double standards on the issue of examination paper leaks.

He was here to attend a meeting with SGPC officials regarding Miri Piri Khalsa March.

Speaking on the occasion, Badal said that nothing could be more deceitful than indulging in a fake show of solidarity with students at Jantar Mantar when no action was being taken vis-a-vis irregularities in the conduct of recruitment examinations, including paper leaks, in Punjab. He said the CM had failed to take any concrete action, including explaining why large scale irregularities had been committed in recruitment papers conducted by the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSB), which reported to him.

The SAD president also pointed out that the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab had broken all records in callousness, by committing atrocities on all protesters, be it State power utility employees or MNREGA workers.

Asserting that the voice of the farmers should also not be suppressed, Badal urged the Central Government to hold a dialogue with them regarding the Indo-US trade deal on agriculture. He said farmers were apprehensive that the trade deal would have an adverse impact on the country’s agriculture economy as it would encourage import of cheap agriculture and dairy goods from the United States. He said the government should make the deal public so that farmers could assess it and themselves decide whether it was good for them or not.

Badal also announced that the SAD would wholeheartedly participate in the “Miri Piri Khalsa March” starting from July 24 under the leadership of the Jathedar Sri Akal Takht Sahib on Miri-Piri diwas. “I held a meeting in this regard today and the entire rank and file of the party is one on this issue”.

He also asserted that Dearness Allowance was the right of employees and that the AAP government was withholding this benefit despite court orders to release employee dues immediately. He also condemned a sacrilege incident which occurred in Muktsar Sahib and said it was shocking that the administration was yet to take any action in the matter.

“This happens when you have a Guru Dokhi chief minister who is bent on confronting Akal Takht,” he added.