Aam Aadmi Party's Haryana unit on Tuesday staged protests in the state against BJP MP Kangana Ranaut's remarks on farmers protest, with a party leader saying her statement indicates the BJP's "mindset" towards farmers.
AAP leaders and workers held protests at various places including Jind, Yamunanagar, Panchkula and Hisar.
The BJP's Mandi MP had posted a clip of her recent interview with Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar in which she suggested that a "Bangladesh-like situation" could have erupted in India but for the country's strong leadership. She then alleged that "bodies were hanging and rapes were taking place" during farmers protest against the now-repealed three farm laws.
With Haryana going to polls on October 1, the opposition has targeted the ruling BJP over the issue.
AAP's Haryana unit senior vice president Anurag Dhanda led a protest in the Yamunanagar district. The protesters carrying placards raised slogans against the BJP government.
Haryana AAP president Sushil Gupta had dubbed Ranaut's remarks "shameful".
Gupta alleged the BJP hated farmers because they forced them to roll back the "black" farm laws.
Ranaut has been making such statements on farmers earlier also, Gupta said and alleged it has been the "mentality" of the BJP that those who abuse farmers are rewarded with posts.
Her remarks indicate the "mindset" of the BJP towards farmers, he further alleged.
Speaking in Yamunanagar, Dhanda said if the BJP does not agree with Ranaut's statement, then they should expel her from the party today itself.
"It will not work that you keep defaming farmers and BJP leaders keep abusing farmers openly," he said.
"The BJP is not satisfied even after the martyrdom of 750 farmers... their leaders use abusive words towards farmers. Now this will not be tolerated anymore. India will not tolerate this insult to farmers.
"If the BJP expels Kangana Ranaut from the party then we will assume that the BJP does not agree with her statement. If the BJP does not take action against her and also says that they do not agree with her, then it will not work," he said.
The whole country has seen how the BJP government made the farmers sit on roads for months and even today farmers are sitting on the borders of Haryana and Punjab, the AAP leader said.
The entire country knows that the BJP has "ill-will and bad intentions" towards farmers, he alleged.
The BJP had on Monday denounced Ranaut for her "disparaging remarks" on the farmers agitation as it expressed disagreement with her views and made it clear that she is neither permitted nor authorised to comment on the party's policy matters.
The BJP said, "The statement made by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut in the context of the farmers agitation is not the opinion of the party. The Bharatiya Janata Party expresses its disagreement with the statement made by Kangana Ranaut." Thousands of farmers from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and other places had held an agitation at Delhi's borders for several months over the now-repealed farm laws.
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