The Congress on Saturday said the Narendra Modi government had been gradually closing down government grain procurement centres (mandis) ever since the three farm laws were introduced while reiterating its support to the agitating farmers who held several protests to mark the completion of seven months of their ongoing movement on the same day.

Alleging that the Modi government was working on a sinister plan to harm the farmers for the last seven years, Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala said: “Is it not true that the government mandis are being closed down gradually ever since the three farm laws were introduced? Didn’t the Commission for Agriculture Cost & Prices in its report for 2021-22 say that the government keeps the sample size to determine the input cost very small to ensure real cost isn’t reflected?”

As Rahul Gandhi reiterated Congress’s support to the agitating farmers yet again, Surjewala said: “The Modi government started tormenting the farmers right after coming to power in 2014, but it crossed all limits of brutality in the last seven months. Nowhere in the world are the farmers treated in this manner like the Modi government has dealt with them during the last seven months. The intention was clear when they tried to kill the Land Acquisition Act in 2014. Then they filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that giving the promised 50 per cent profit on input cost is not possible.”

Surjewala also referred to high diesel costs that burdened the farmers.

The Congress also demanded restoration of dearness allowance to lakhs of government employees, army personnel and pensioners that was discontinued in the name of the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2020. Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the government’s decision robbed Rs 37,500 crore from 115 lakh employees and pensioners during the pandemic when they needed greater financial assistance.