The Congress slammed the BJP over Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut’s comments on farmers’ agitation, with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi saying the “shameful anti-farmer” comment was a “serious insult” to farmers in western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana. , Punjab as well as the entire state.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also hit out at the BJP over the actor-politician’s comments and said the “shameful and much-maligned anti-farmer ideology is the DNA of the Modi government”.
The Congress said that if the ruling party did not agree with Ranaut’s comments then it should expel her from the party.
The opposition party’s reaction came after the Mandi MP posted a clip of an interview with Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar, in which he suggested that a “Bangladesh-like situation” could have erupted in India but for the country’s strong leadership. He later said that bodies were hanged and rapes were carried out during farmers’ protests against the three agricultural laws that have now been repealed.
He alleged the involvement of China and the US in a “conspiracy”.
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, “The propaganda machine of the Modi government, which has failed to fulfill its promises to the farmers, is constantly insulting the farmers.” The BJP MP called the farmers, who sacrificed 700 of their own during the 378-day marathon struggle, rape and representatives of foreign forces as another proof of the party’s anti-farmer policies and intentions, the former Congress president said.
“This shameful anti-farmer comment is a huge insult to the farmers of western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab as well as the entire country, which cannot be accepted under any circumstances,” Gandhi said.
The government committee that was formed when the farmers’ movement was withdrawn is still kept, the government has not been able to explain about the MSP until now, the families of martyred farmers have not been given relief and on top of that character assassination that is going on continuously, he said.
“The Modi government has betrayed the farmers in no secret by disrespecting their food providers and attacking their dignity,” Gandhi said.
“No matter how many conspiracies Narendra Modi and BJP indulge in. INDIA will ensure that farmers get legal guarantees from MSPs,” he added.
Congress president Kharge also hit out at the BJP on the issue.
“Prime Minister Modi himself has insulted farmers by calling them ‘andolanjeevi” and ‘parjeevi (parasites’) in Parliament, he even refused to observe a two-minute silence for the martyred farmers in Parliament,” he said.
“Modi ji has also made a false promise to form a committee in MSP and double the income of farmers. When Modi ji can do all this by himself, then what else does the country want from its supporters except to insult the martyred farmers!” Kharge said.
“This shameful and highly reprehensible anti-farmer ideology is the DNA of the Modi government,” he said.
Congress social media chief and spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the government should also come clean on actor-politicians’ claims that the US and China are conspiring to create instability in the country.
Shrinate said at a press conference here, “No leader so far has used the word Kangana Ranaut against the farmers. When Kangana’s statement provoked anger, the BJP was asked about its official stand. “The Haryana elections are near and it is already known that the BJP will lose. In such a situation, there is a statement from the BJP disapproving of Kangana’s comments,” he said.
A Congress spokesperson said that this is not BJP’s opinion, Kangana should be expelled from the party.
“People who talk about farmers have no right to sit in Parliament. Tell Kangana to apologize to farmers or the BJP should apologize,” Shrinate said.
“Your MP (BJP) is saying that two foreign powers, America and China, are conspiring to create instability and unrest in India. The Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs should tell us whether this is true? If this is not true, the government should state otherwise,” the Congress leader said.
Shrinate said the government should come up with an explanation. If a foreign power created unrest in the country, the Narendra Modi government was powerless, he said.
Earlier, the BJP in a statement said, “The statement made by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut in the context of the farmers’ movement is not the party’s opinion. The Bharatiya Janata Party expressed its disapproval of Kangana Ranaut’s statement. On behalf of the BJP, Ranaut is not allowed or permitted to make any statement on party policy issues.” , he said.
“On behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Kangana Ranaut has been directed not to make such statements in future… The Bharatiya Janata Party is committed to the principles of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas’ and social harmony,” he added.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from the feed of syndicated news agency – PTI)
