Jaipur, December 26: The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), headed by Lok Sabha MP Hanuman Beniwal, announced its exit from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Saturday. This marks the second departure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition since the passage of the controversial farm laws.

Beniwal, over the past one month, had demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to amend the repeal three farm laws that has stoked unrest among farmers of several states across the country. Akali Dal Patron Parkash Singh Badal Returns Padma Vibhushan Award, Says Government Betrayed Farmers.

In a message addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah earlier this month, he had warned that his party would join the farmers' agitation in the national capital if the new laws are not revoked. He unequivocally described the legislations as anti-farmer and pro-corporate.

Second BJP Ally to Quit

In September, the NDA was jolted as the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) announced its shock exit from the coalition inside the Parliament. The party, the oldest BJP ally, has since been protesting across Punjab against the laws which are feared to dilute the system of minimum support prices (MSP)-based procurement.

Similar to the Akali Dal - which was the BJP's sole ally in Punjab - the RLP was the saffron party's only partner in Rajasthan. The latter is represented by one MP in the Lok Sabha, and three MLAs in the state assembly.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 26, 2020 05:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).