The Congress on Friday flooded social media with videos of farmers from across the country passionately condemning the “death warrant” the Narendra Modi government has issued in the garb of reforms, on a day the Centre stuck to its stand that the farm laws can’t be repealed because of protests centred around Punjab and Haryana alone.
Videos showing farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand supporting the agitation at Delhi’s borders and asserting that the three laws had nothing to protect their interests were uploaded by the Congress as part of the online “Bole Bharat” campaign. The party also threatened to join the protest if the laws were not scrapped.
It is an undeniable truth that thousands of farmers from states other than Punjab and Haryana are sitting in protest — over 80 per cent of the crowds at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border and Shahjahanpur on the Rajasthan-Delhi border are from different parts of the country.
Countless videos have emerged showing how police in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana are stopping caravans of farmers from moving towards Delhi.
Among the videos posted by the Congress was one showing an angry farmer from Uttar Pradesh saying: “He (Modi) boasts of 56-inch chest. Why can’t he come and talk to us? Will you nurse your 56-inch chest by sucking our blood? It is a shame that you gave importance to fake farmers and talked to them. We know the truth of the laws, we understand how it will work on the ground. Modi is worried only about Adani-Ambani. Look at the rise in the wealth of Adani after Modi became Prime Minister.”
A farmer from Gujarat, supporting the demand for repeal of the laws, declared that their land would doubtless be taken away if they opted for contract farming.
An Uttarakhand farmer said: “The laws are guided 100 per cent by corporate interest. Except for some corporate houses, nobody will benefit. Not only farmers, all those who eat food will get affected. The government should not nurture false hopes that we will go back after some time. No way. We will return only after victory, no matter what we have to suffer.”
Farmers from Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s Budhni village were also shown listing the ill-effects of the new laws and demanding total repeal.
Many farmers pointed to the unease among soldiers who are worried about their parents being attacked by the Modi government. They took strong objection to the attempts to malign the protesters by calling them Khalistani and Pakistani agents and lamented that the Prime Minister could not feel the pain of the deaths occurring during the movement.
Participating in the online campaign, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “The Modi government has betrayed the food-givers for the benefit of his capitalist friends. The farmers have spoken up through their protest. It is the duty of all of us to support the farmers and give voice to their cause. Peaceful movement is an integral part of democracy. The farmers’ movement has evoked nationwide support. You too should extend support by lending your voice to ensure that the black laws are repealed.”
Many other senior Congress leaders appealed to the countrymen to rise in support of the farmers. They asked the citizens to mount pressure on the government to withdraw the “black laws” and bring to an end the enormous sufferings of lakhs of farmers who are sitting at Delhi’s borders for 45 days amid biting cold and rain. Veteran leader Digvijaya Singh asked BJP leaders who feel for farmers to come out like estranged ally Akali Dal and oppose the farm laws.
Digvijaya said: “The only objective of these laws is to facilitate the entry of a few corporate houses into the agriculture trade worth Rs 15 to 18 lakh crore per year. These laws will ensure the mandi system is abolished and hoarding and black-marketing become easy.”
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said: “The emperor is worried about democracy in the United States but not concerned about farmers being called terrorists in his own country. Is his friendship with a few capitalists more important than the livelihood of 62 crore people?”
Party communications chief Randeep Surjewala expressed disappointment at the failure to reach a breakthrough at Friday’s meeting between the farmers and the government, saying: “The Modi government has turned out to be the most inhuman, cruel and arrogant in India’s history. It can see neither the dying farmers in this cold nor the debilitating impact on the economy. It is trying to tire out the farmers by playing meeting-meeting. But the farmers will neither bow down nor get tired.”
