Monday, 05 October 2020 | PNS | Chandigarh/Moga
Cong leader holds tractor rally in Moga, hits out at Govt for haste in passing 3 Bills
Standing up for the farming community in their agitation against the Centre’s three contentious farm laws, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday hit out at the BJP-led Central Government, while declaring that the “anti-farmer” legislations would be revoked if the Congress was voted to power.
Rahul, who joined Punjab’s farmers in the heartland during the ongoing protests on Sunday as a part of his three-day tractor rally ‘Kheti Bachao Yatra’, minced no words to blame that the Narendra Modi Government wanted to destroy the three pillars of Indian agriculture — MSP, food grain procurement and mandis — by passing these three black laws.
He questioned the Central Government’s “hurry” in bringing these laws in the times of Covid, while also blaming it for “snatching land and bread from the farmers”.
That was not all. Rahul also went on to dub the BJP-led Central Government “a kathputli (puppet) Government whose strings are in the hands of the Adanis and Ambanis”.
Addressing a rally, Rahul said, “I guarantee you, the day the Congress Government is formed (at the Centre), these three black laws would be scrapped and consigned to wastepaper basket.” He added, “And if farmers are happy with these laws, then why are they agitating across the country? Why is every farmer of Punjab agitating?”
“What was the need to implement these laws amid Covid-19? What was the haste? If you had to implement, you should have discussed in Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha. The PM says laws are being framed for farmers. If it’s the case, why didn’t you discuss openly in the House?” Rahul said.
Heavily criticising the BJP Government-led policies and laws for the farmers, Rahul said, “People of Punjab provide food to the country, you are the backbone of our country. Why is Modij breaking this backbone to benefit a few people? The Congress will never let this happen.”
Rahul made it clear that the Congress party will not let farmers’ interest to get hurt by the new farm laws and assured the farmers that the laws will be scrapped the day the Congress comes to power at the Centre.
Accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, State party affairs general secretary in-charge Harish Rawat, Cabinet Ministers, MLAs among others, Rahul on Sunday kickstarted a three-day ‘Kheti Bachao Yatra’.
Lambasting the Prime Minister for lying to the people and misleading the nation for the past six years to serve the interests of two-three large corporate houses of his “billionaire friends”, Rahul cited the examples of demonetisation, GST and the debt and tax waiver of big industrialists amid Covid, while not giving a rupee’s aid to the poor and the farmers.
“This is about your land and your money,” Rahul warned the farmers, recalling the Land Acquisition Bill which the UPA Government had amended to protect the farmers but the Modi Government had scrapped, with the support of the Akalis, soon after taking over the country’s reins.
“The Adanis and the Ambanis want to take over the land and money of the farmers without giving anything in return and the Prime Minister is helping them in exchange of 24X7 media coverage in his favour,” he said.
Extending his, and the Congress party’s full support to the farmers, Rahul said that he stood with the farmers in this fight for their survival and livelihood, which the Modi Government was trying to destroy with these draconian laws. “Together we will change these laws,” he told the farmers, adding that the Congress will stand with the farmers in their fight and will not move back an inch.
Notably, President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, which were passed by Parliament last month. Out of the three laws, farmers and farm leaders have expressed grave concerns over the first one that they claim was a roundabout way to eliminate procurement of wheat and paddy under minimum support price (MSP) programme.
As a part of his programme, Rahul will hold massive public meetings and tractor rallies across Punjab and Haryana for three days. After finishing his tractor rallies in Punjab’s Patiala, he is scheduled to enter Haryana through Pehowa on October 6.
