Jolt To BJP As Ally RLP Quits NDA Over Farm Laws, Chief Beniwal Says Not Stuck To Alliance With Fevicol

Hanuman Beniwal, RLP supremo, declaring the move, said he left the NDA in order to protest against the three farm laws.

(File Photo/ Getty)

New Delhi: Not satisfied with the Union Government’s stand on the farm laws and its handling of the farmer’s agitation near Delhi’s border, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) ally and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), on Saturday, announced its exit from the alliance over the Centre's new farm laws.  Hanuman Beniwal, RLP supremo declaring the move said that he left the NDA in order to protest against the three farm laws. "I am not stuck with Fevicol with the NDA. Today, I separate myself from the NDA," Beniwal said while addressing a farmers' rally in Shahjahanpur in Alwar district.

देश के अन्नदाताओं के सम्मान में आज @RLPINDIAorg ने एनडीए से अलग होने का निर्णय लिया,कृषि से जुड़े 3 बिल किसान विरोधी है !

— HANUMAN BENIWAL (@hanumanbeniwal) December 26, 2020

"I have left the NDA in protest against the three farm laws. These laws are anti-farmer. I have left NDA but won't forge an alliance with the Congress," Beniwal said. Following the exit, RLP became the second party to leave the alliance after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) over the new farm laws. Beniwal also alleged the BJP for tampering with his Covid-19 report, in order to keep him out of the Monsoon Session of the parliament when the farm laws were enacted. "The farm laws were brought in my absence. If I was present in the Lok Sabha when the farm laws were brought, I would have torn them apart and thrown them away," Beniwal said. Beniwal To Support The Farmer’s Agitation The Lok Sabha MP from Rajasthan’s Nagaur, following his exit, has given a call for two lakh farmers to move towards Delhi in support of the farmers' agitation that has been on for the past one month. On Saturday, the former BJP-ally led the farmers' movement from Jaipur, Nagaur, Barmer, Jodhpur, and other parts of Rajasthan into Kotputli on the way to Shahjahanpur. He also announced to lead the movement towards Delhi, to protest against the contentious farm laws. Exit Not An Immediate Move The exit of RLP from the NDA is not an immediate move, from the past one month there have been enough indications that there were chances of the party to quit the alliance. Last week, Beniwal resigned from three different parliamentary committees in support of the farmers' agitation. In his letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, Beniwal said that he was disappointed as no action was taken on several issues raised by him. "Despite the recommendations and intervention by the Lok Sabha committees, if no action is taken then the importance of such structures in a democratic system loses all justification," he wrote in his letter. Hanuman Beniwal was a member of parliamentary committees on industries, petroleum and natural gas, and petitions. Even After Being A BJP Ally, RLP Openly Supported The Farmer’s Protest It is also worth mentioning, that despite being a BJP ally, Hanuman Beniwal led RLP openly supported the farmer’s agitations and the call for “Bharat Bandh”. He also demanded the Union Government to withdraw the new laws and implement recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.