Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, The President has directed that Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in addition to his existing portfolios. Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet on Thursday as AKALI DAL decided to oppose the agriculture bills.

Ms Badal stepped down shortly before the bills were passed by the Lok Sabha, tweeting that she was “Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter & sister”.

Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal said for now, they would support the government from outside but oppose “anti-farmer policies”. But amid Congress pressure about the continuation of its alliance with the BJP, he said the matter will be decided later at a party meeting.

The Produce Trade and Commerce and the Price Assurance and Farm Services bills sailed through Lok Sabha as the opposition parties walked out. Most of the opposition parties and some of those that lend issue-based support to the government, including Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal and the TRS, were opposed to the bills.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said Harsimrat Kaur’s resignation was “too little too late”. Pointing to the Akali Dal’s decision to continue as part of the ruling NDA, he said the resignation was nothing more than a”gimmick” to fool the farmers of Punjab.

Farmers in Punjab will protest against the central government’s three farm-related bills by staging a three-day ‘rail roko’ agitation across the state from September 24-26, a farmers’ body has announced.

“We have decided to hold a rail roko agitation from September 24 to 26 in the state against the farm bills,” Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said.

Already, different farmer organisations in Punjab have given a call for a ‘bandh’ on September 25 in protest against the three farm bills. The farmers argue that the legislations would lead to the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the ‘mercy’ of big corporates.

The government, however, says that the bills will help farmers across the country get a better market for their price and produce.

Nevertheless, farmers in both Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against the legislation.

He stressed that Pakistan’s move “indicated an ulterior motive” and Punjab is on heightened alert to check any nefarious design of the neighbouring country.

“The Sikh community had asked for opening of the passage to the sacred Kartarpur shrine for the past 70 years, but Pakistan’s sudden decision to accept the demand indicated an ulterior motive, for driving a wedge in the Sikh community by exploiting their religious sentiments,” the chief minister told reporters.

“While we do not expect Pakistan to dare to do any mischief through the Corridor, it is important that, as a border state, Punjab remains on alert,” said the chief minister adding that the state was keeping close tabs on the situation and was maintaining heightened alert.

Singh also lashed out at Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), alleging it was “playing into the hands of the Badals” and had refused to support his government’s programmes on the historic 550th Prakash Purb celebrations.

“Such major events had always, traditionally, been celebrated under the aegis of the state government, but the SGPC, at the behest of the Akalis, had refused to support the government’s programmes this time,” said the chief minister.

He said the Akalis have been “rejected” by the Sikh community in every election in the last three years, adding that Harsimrat Badal had barely managed to scrape through in the recent Parliamentary elections.

“The people had seen through their gimmicks and frustrated attempts to exploit religion for petty political gains,” he said.

“It was unfortunate that the Akalis, under Sukhbir Badal and his wife and union minister Harsimrat Badal, were trying to divide the Sikh community while celebrating the biggest unifier the world had seen in Guru Nanak, who worked for inter-faith harmony and dialogue,” he said.

His government had reached out in all possible ways to the SGPC to help joint celebrations, but the religious body was clearly working on the Akali agenda in the matter, the chief minister alleged.

Reacting to SGPC charges of inadequate efforts by the state government to make sure befitting celebrations on the occasion, the chief minister said all preparations have been made to make it a lifetime experience for the pilgrims.