Chandigarh, Sep 27 (IANS): A day after deciding to quit the 23-year-old alliance with the BJP-led NDA, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Sunday described the Presidential assent to the three controversial farm sector Bills for which farmers are protesting in Punjab as "sad, disappointing and extremely unfortunate".

In a statement here, Sukhbir said it was really a "dark day for the country" that the President has refused to act as per the nation's conscience.

"We were very hopeful that the honourable President would return these Bills to the Parliament for reconsideration as demanded by SAD and by some other opposition parties too," he said.

The party will chalk out the next course of action after due deliberations, he added.

A delegation of SAD had met President Ram Nath Kovind and urged him to withhold assent to the farm Bills.

Coming out of the meeting, Sukhbir had told the media: "We have requested the President against signing the anti-farmer Bills passed in Parliament by force. We requested him to send back those Bills to Parliament."

SAD Lok Sabha MP and Sukhbir's wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal had resigned from the Union Cabinet on September 17, citing her party's opposition to the three Bills.

The two Bills Badal was referring to were the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.