Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday termed the recently enacted agricultural laws and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of committing a grave injustice to farmers. She reiterated the party’s resolve to fight against them and stand with farmers.
In a video statement, released by the party on the occasion of the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, she said the party’s workers in every Assembly segment of the country were agitating against the laws.
Rahul expresses solidarity
Separately, former party chief Rahul Gandhi expressed his solidarity with farmers and the working class. “The hard work of our country’s labour and farmers is the best example of Atmanirbharta [self-reliance]. They deserve respect and must get the right remuneration for their hard work,” he tweeted with the slogan Jai Shramik, Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisan.
Mr. Gandhi is expected to take part in a tractor rally in Punjab and Haryana between October 3 and 5 to express solidarity with farmers.
Watch | Why are the agriculture bills being opposed?
In her statement, Ms. Gandhi said, “Today is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the biggest sympathiser of farmers, labourers and the working class people. He used to say that India’s soul lives in her villages, her agricultural fields. Today is also the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri ji who gave us the slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan. But today the farmers and agricultural workers are protesting against three black laws on the streets. Those who give their blood and toil to feed the country are now being forced to shed tears of blood by the Modi government”.
‘Mandis will go’
While farmers and agricultural workers have adopted the Gandhian way of protest to ensure that remunerative price for their produce was expressly mentioned in the law, the Modi government was raining lathis on them, she alleged. The news laws would not only end mandis (agricultural markets) and thereby snatch the livelihoods of small traders, but also encourage hoarding
“The Prime Minister is doing grave injustice to farmers. They are being treated in an unjust manner as the government didn’t even consult them [farmers] before making new laws for them. Ignoring farmers’ interest, the government enacted these three anti-farmer black laws after talking to their few friends,” she stated.
The Congress always made laws with public consent as it should be in a democracy. “Perhaps the Modi government does not remember that it was not able to change the ‘Right to Adequate Compensation Law’ for rights of farmers through an ordinance,” she said.
