Supporting the farmers' agitation for the fulfillment of their demands, the Congress today condemned the BJP government at the Centre and in various states for resorting to authoritarian ways to curb it and prevent their march toward Delhi.
The party urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he should directly talk to the farmers to provide them justice. Party general secretary and MP Randeep Singh Surjewala asked as to why were the farmers not being allowed to lodge their protest when they had a record of always maintaining peace.
Referring to the heavy barricading of Delhi, Surjewala asked, whether the central government considered it as an attack from some enemy country that the roads were being blocked with boulders, heavy vehicles and at several places with deep and wide ditches.
The Congress leader observed that the farmers were only demanding the implementation of the promises that had been made to them two years ago, like the guarantee on the Minimum Support Price and waiving off debts of farmers and farm labourers.
He warned that this was just the beginning of the stir and only the farmers from Haryana and Punjab were participating right now. He said farmers from across the country will soon be joining them and it will be difficult for the government to control the situation.
Demanding that PM Modi should directly talk to the farmers himself to get them justice, Surjewala asked whether the farmers did not have the right and freedom to come to the national capital in support of their demands. He asked, where should the farmers go if not to the Prime Minister and the government of the time for seeking justice.
He pointed out, it was the BJP government only which had promised to make a law for providing MSP guarantee and waiving their debt and that of farm labourers. He asked, why should the farmers not demand implementation of those promises.
Condemning the heavy barricading of the national capital and various roads leading towards it, and questioning the logic, Surjewala pointed out, the farmers have always maintained peace at all costs. “What is the government afraid of?” he asked.
