After being criticised by the farmer leaders, Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi on Thursday evening has clarified over her "they are hooligans" remark. "During a press conference today, my comment was sought on the Red Fort violence on January 26 and the attack on a media person (at Farmers' Parliament today). In response, I said only hooligans, not farmers can indulge in such activities," news agency ANI quoted her as saying.
Earlier in the day, the Union minister had reportedly termed the farmers as hooligans after a journalist, who was covering the 'Kisan Sansad' at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, was attacked. "They are not farmers, they are hooligans... These are criminal acts. What happened on January 26 was also shameful criminals activities. Opposition promoted such activities, " ANI had quoted her as saying.
Later, the Union minister was criticized for her remark. Farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka said the Lekhi's remark is an insult to 80 crore farmers of India. "If we're hooligans, Meenakshi Lekhi ji should stop eating food grains grown by us. She should be ashamed of herself. We've passed a resolution in Farmers' Parliament condemning her statement," Kakka told ANI.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait also condemned Lekhi's remark. "Hooligans are the ones who have nothing. It is wrong to make such remarks for farmers. We are farmers, not hooligans. Farmers are 'anndatas' of the land," Tikait told ANI.
Meanwhile, the journalist has been identified as Nagendra Gosain. He said a man hit him on his head with a light stand. However, he said he wasn't sure if the attacker was a farmer. "Some people were making videos&verbally abusing media (in Delhi today). After a scuffle, a man hit me on my head with a light stand. He had ID of some sort that said Kisan Media. Not sure if he was a farmer but it appeared he was biased towards farmers," Gosain told ANI.
