Faridkot, Punjab, 9 August 2013

It seems Gujarat Chief Minister’s phone talk with Punjab counterpart Shri Parkashsingh Badal in Punjab has been fruitful and doubts are successfully cleared over the issue of Punjab farmers in Gujarat. This reflects in junior Badal’s statement.

Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday in Faridkot reportedly defended Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the row over alleged eviction of Punjabi farmers from parts of Gujarat. “It was the Congress chief minister of Gujarat before Narendra Modi who was responsible for the eviction of Punjabi families…I can’t comment further because the matter is sub-judice,” he said.

Badal claimed that the second term of the SAD-BJP government was earned by its development record, as was the case with Narendra Modi -led Gujarat and and Madhya Pradesh under Shivraj Singh Chauhan.

Meanwhile office bearers of Bharatiya Kisan Union are in Kutch to support the Sikh farmers against alleged eviction under the leadership of senior vice president of union Shri Neksinh Khokh. The farmers leaders from Punjab met district collector Shri Harshad Patel and submitted a memorandum. They said that around 5,000 Sikh farmers are active in Kutch, and they have through their hard work developed land in Kutch since 1965.

“The case is sub judice in the Supreme Court and we will wait for the verdict. The issue should not be given political color,” he said.