Farmers Movement Archive

PM Modi should talk to farmers directly, says Congress' Ashok Gehlot

The Centre can still correct its "ill-measures" against the farmers, who have been protesting against the three central farm laws, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must talk to them, senior Congress leader and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot suggested on Saturday."There is still a chance for the government to correct its ill measures. I believe the Prime Minister must take cognizance and talk to the farmers himself. The government should reverse the decision (regarding the farm laws)," Gehlot said, reported news agency ANI. Suggesting a rollback to PM Modi-led government, Gehlot said, "There is nothing wrong with changing decisions. It happens in a democracy. People will welcome it."Gehlot criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not carrying out a judicial inquiry into the incident of violence on Republic Day in the national capital. "We condemn the violence on Republic Day by some anti-social elements. Why did judicial inquiry not happen? There should be a fair probe into the incident."Gehlot also backed the farmers' movement and said that they were protesting peacefully for 65 days. Blaming the BJP for sparking clashes at Delhi's Singhu border, where alleged local residents protested against farmers occupying the space on Friday, Gehlot said, "The clashes happened on the behest of the BJP. They (BJP) are pushing villagers to clash with farmers. This is not good."Three days after the clashes that broke out on Republic Day in the national capital, opposition parties are training guns at the government and the ruling party at the Centre, accusing them of discrediting the farmers' movement. Earlier in the day, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed that the violence that took place during the tractor parade on January 26 was scripted by the BJP with the help of Delhi Police to "defame and discredit" the farmers' movement.Addressing a press conference, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj called BJP leaders the "greatest anti-nationals" and demanded that cases of sedition must be filed against them and probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). "Police and BJP together scripted the violence of January 26 and the days after. This script was prepared by the BJP with the help of Delhi Police to defame and discredit the farmers' movement," the AAP leader claimed.The BJP has not responded to the allegations so far.Protests had erupted in parts of Delhi and on its surrounding borders after the tractor rally called by the agitating farmers took a violent turn on India's 72nd Republic Day on Tuesday.

Hindustan Times

30-01-2021

India