Farmers Movement Archive

Congress targets government, uses China, corona and farm ordinances as ammo

NEW DELHI: On the opening day of the Parliament session, Congress opened a three-front attack on Modi government, accusing it of mishandling the pandemic and of bringing in three farm ordinances to enfeeble the farmers so that they are at the mercy of corporates. It also demanded a discussion on the Chinese aggression while seeking government response on reports of Chinese surveillance of India through industry. Juxtaposing the mounting Corona infections with the Prime Minister’s famous photograph feeding a peacock, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to take a dig at Narendra Modi. “Corona infection figures will cross 50 lakhs this week and 10 million active cases. The unplanned lockdown is a product of one person's ego causing the corona to spread across the country. Modi government said all should be self-sufficient i.e. save your life yourself because PM is busy with peacocks,” he said in a sarcasm-filled post. On the opening day in Lok Sabha, the party leadership of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Gaurav Gogoi robustly protested against disallowing of discussion on Chinese incursion as well as against the three ordinances passed by the government during the lockdown as “farming reforms". With Rahul Gandhi later weighing on the issues through Twitter, Congress practically laid out its agenda for the current session. “Farmers are the only ones who buy in retail and sell their produce at wholesale prices. The three 'black' ordinances of the Modi government are a fatal attack on peasant-agricultural labourers so that neither do they get MSP nor their rights, and farmers are forced to sell their land to capitalists. Another anti-farmer conspiracy of Modi,” Rahul tweeted, as the Centre prepares to bring legislations to replace the three ordinances. China too figured prominently in the party agenda as Chowdhury repeatedly tried to raise the Ladakh standoff in the Lower House. Gogoi later told reporters that it was disappointing that the defence minister did not respond to the issue or clarify when a discussion will be taken up. AICC spokesman Randeep Surjewala asked the government to clarify on reports of Chinese surveillance of India. He asked why was Modi government repeatedly “failing” on national security front. The congress demand for a discussion on China will be taken up in the meeting of business advisory committee of both houses on Tuesday.

The Times of India

2020-09-15

India