Farmers Movement Archive

Priyanka asks Congress MPs to take cue from US lawmakers in showing solidarity with farmers

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday asked a meeting of party general secretaries and state in charges that like Democrat MPs took a knee to protest the recent US Capitol Hill siege, Congress’s Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs should join, at least for a day, their party colleagues from Punjab who have been sitting in protest at Jantar Mantar to express solidarity with farmers against the contentious new farm laws. In a virtual strategy meeting led by general secretary administration K C Venugopal to chalk out the party’s programme to strengthen farmers’ protests against the three farm laws, Congress also decided it will lead rallies and ‘gherao’ Raj Bhawans across India on January 15, coinciding with the next round of talks between the government and farmer unions. “The government is merely trying to tire the farmers out by leading them into meaningless talks that have yielded no results. To show our solidarity to farmers, and to show that the Modi government is sold out to few capitalists, Congress will observe January 15 as the “Kisan Adhikar Diwas”. It is time now to listen to farmers’ voices,” said Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress’ general secretary and communications head. Congress also said it will decide the next course of action on January 16, the day after the next round of talks, when another strategy meeting has been called. On Saturday, Surjewala also slammed PM Modi, saying he had failed to pay homage to 60 farmers who had died while protesting over the last 45 days, a clear sign that the government is beholden to its “capitalist masters”. Congress will also run a social media campaign, ‘SpeakUpForFarmers’, to coincide with the countrywide physical protests. Sources said while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to be back in the country in time for the protests, it remains unclear whether he will join the protests in Delhi or in Kerala, from where he has been elected as MP.

The Times of India

2021-01-10

India