Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi-led central government, accusing it of adopting an "anti-farmer" stance and portraying farmers as adversaries for asserting their rights.
Kharge's remarks came in the wake of a call by farmer leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal urging farmers nationwide to converge on New Delhi on March 6 for a protest. Additionally, they announced a nationwide 'rail roko' agitation on March 10 to press for various demands, including a legal assurance for minimum support prices (MSP) and debt waivers.
In a pointed criticism articulated through a Hindi post on X, Kharge lambasted the Modi government for allegedly prioritising the interests of "crony capitalist buddies" over those of farmers.
He lamented the government's restrictions on agricultural exports, citing instances of prohibitions on wheat, rice, sugar, onion, and lentil exports.
Kharge drew a comparison between the agricultural export growth rates during the Congress-UPA regime and the BJP's tenure, highlighting a stark difference.
"Not only did the Modi government's guarantee of MSP and doubling income turn out to be false, but the anti-farmer BJP left no stone unturned to break the backs of our 62 crore farmers," he maintained.
The Congress chief condemned the government's response to farmers' demands, characterising it as hostile.
"Now that farmers are demanding their rights, the Modi government is treating them as enemies," Kharge said.
He pointed out that the ongoing agitation stemmed from legitimate grievances and asserted that farmers were being unjustly treated as adversaries by the ruling dispensation.
The farmers' protest, which commenced on February 13 with the ''Delhi Chalo'' march, has seen participants camped out at the Shambhu and Khanauri border crossings between Punjab and Haryana. However, their progress was halted by security forces, leading to confrontations at the border.
Among the key demands put forth by the protesting farmers are the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension schemes for farmers and agricultural labourers, and assurances against electricity tariff hikes.
They also seek the withdrawal of police cases and justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh, along with the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013 and compensation for families of farmers who lost their lives during previous agitations.
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