New Delhi: Some opposition parties, led by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), met President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday to seek his intervention in asking the government to set up a JPC on farmer deaths and allow a discussion in Parliament on the farmers' issue and the Pegasus snooping controversy.
Leaders of SAD, NCP and JKNC met the president and handed over a letter signed by the representatives of various parties for his intervention.
The Congress, however, was not a signatory to it.
The letter by various parties, including SAD, Shiv Sena, NCP, BSP, JKNC, RLP, CPI and CPI(M), seeks the president's intervention to ensure the formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to ascertain the details of farmer deaths during their agitation against three agriculture laws of the Centre and allow a discussion on their issues in Parliament.
After meeting the president, SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the entire Opposition is demanding from the government for the last two weeks to allow them to speak in Parliament on issues concerning people. Among those who met Kovind included Mohammed Faizal (NCP), Hasnain Masoodi (JKNC), Ritesh Pandey (BSP) and Balwinder Singh Bhundar (SAD).
Badal said she herself had approached the Congress and the TMC and wanted these parties to accompany them during the meeting with the president, "but unfortunately, it is before you that no one has reached here. We had sought time from the president".
All opposition parties are giving adjournment motions in Parliament on the farmers' issue and the Pegasus snooping row, she said, alleging that it is the government's duty to enable Parliament to function, but it is stonewalling the Opposition.
"We have come here to tell the president that democracy and democratic traditions are under threat and the voice of parliamentarians is being crushed inside Parliament too. This is a big loss to democracy," she told reporters.
"We have appealed to the president, who is the custodian and conscience keeper of the country, to put pressure on the government and admit the people's issues raised by the opposition parties and allow Parliament to function," the former Union minister told reporters.
She said they may belong to small political parties, but represent people from across the country, from Jammu and Kashmir to Lakshadweep.
"We have urged the president to put pressure on the government to let Parliament function smoothly so that people's issues are addressed," the Akali leader said.
She said farmers are sitting on the roads for the last one year and at Delhi's borders for eight months, and 500 of them have lost their lives. But when the agriculture minister says no farmer has died during the agitation against the three farm laws, it adds to their anger, Badal said.