PANAJI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi should end his silence on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in Uttar Pradesh where four farmers were run over by a vehicle allegedly driven by minister of state for home affairs Ajay Mishra’s son, the Congress party said on Monday. As part of a nation-wide Maun Vrat protest, the Congress party also demanded that Mishra should be sacked immediately and the son booked for the hit-and-run accident.
Claiming that the incident and the subsequent response of the government has brought shame and undermined the struggle of the farmers, the Congress party also demanded that Modi should speak about the ongoing protests by farmers during his next "Mann Ki Baat" episode.
"We demand that the Prime Minister speaks out, speaks to the country what his "Mann Ki Baat" is all about. "Let him speak to the people of India,” said Congress party’s Goa desk in charge Dinesh Gundu Rao.
Former Union finance minister P Chidambaram, state Congress president Girish Chodankar, opposition leader Digambar Kamat, South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha and Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco and others participated in the protest at Azad Maidan. The protest began around 11am and continued for around an hour during which the leaders maintained silence. Chidambaram maintained his silence and did not speak at the protest.
"This vow of silence is to wake up the prime minister, to wake up and hear the voices of the farmer. The Prime Minister goes to UP but does not say one word about it. Farmers are agitating but he does not speak one word about it," said Rao.
