Taking a dig at the Modi government, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram has said that if those agitating at the Singhu border are either Khalistani or Maoist as per the labels distributed by the government, then why is it negotiating with them.
“Ministers have described the protesters against the Farm Laws as Khalistanis; agents of Pakistan and China; Maoists; and, the latest, tukde tukde gang,” Mr. Chidambaram tweeted.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, in an online address to FICCI, said the ongoing farmers’ protest had been infiltrated by ‘Maoists and Leftists’. Earlier, the BJP leaders claimed that the protesting farmers have Khalistani separatists among their ranks.
Mr. Chidambaram added, “If you exhaust all these categories, it means there are no farmers among the thousands of protesters! If there are no farmers, why is the government talking to them?”
Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala, in a tweet, said it was wrong to claim that the farmers’ agitation was limited to Punjab and Haryana. He pointed out that in Madhya Pradesh the tax collection had come down from ₹1,200 crore to ₹220 crore in last one year because 47 agricultural markets and 298 sub-markets had gone bust due to the new farm laws.
CPI general secretary D. Raja said the government was trying to malign the protest with the Ministers attacking the farmers in a series of press conferences claiming that ultra Left and anti-social elements had infiltrated the ranks. "Even after series of talks, the government remains rigid, arrogant and insensitive. Malaigning the farmers’ movement cannot be tolerated. We condemn it,” Mr. Raja said.
