Lucknow: Taking a dig at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that he can make foreign trips but has no time to meet farmers sitting on a dharna, just a few kilometers away from his residence.
“There is hardly any country in the world not travelled by Prime Minister Modi. He went to China and also to Pakistan. But he can’t travel a few kilometers to Delhi borders to meet agitating farmers,” she hit at the PM while addressing a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Bijnor’s Chandpur, Priyanka.
Priyanka alleged that the country's Prime Minister was unable to understand the magnitude of farmers’ agitation. “Over 200 farmers have so far laid their lives. A 25-year-old farmer was shot. But still the Prime Minister is unable to differentiate between a patriot and traitor,” she charged.
She also took a jibe at the Prime Minister for calling agitating farmers ‘Andolan-Karees’. “I am the daughter of a martyr. Modi ji farmers are standing at your doors. Their sons are manning the borders. You have no right to demean farmers by calling them Andolan-Karees,” she commented, in a bid to establish an emotional chord with farmers present at the rally.
“You all are sugarcane growers. Over 15,000 crores payment is due to the government. Instead of making payments to poor farmers, the Prime Minister bought two Jet planes for Rs 16,000 crores for his foreign junkets and sanctioned another Rs 20,000 crores for a new parliament building,” she reiterated her charge.
She said that Pt Nehru had framed a law in 1955 to check hoarding but this government has given a free hand to capitalists to hoard freely. “In the new Acts, they are allowed to open private mandies. They may not charge mandi tax but they will not give you minimum support price (MSP). These three Farm Laws are for government’s capitalist friends who control media houses also. Think twice if you still have any hopes from this government,” she said.
Priyanka reiterated her party support saying that she along with her brother Rahul Gandhi will remain with agitating farmers till Farm Laws are repealed. Before leaving the dais, she kept two minutes silence for farmers who died during the agitation.
Earlier, Priyanka had addressed first Kisan Mahapanchayat in Saharanpur on February 9 soon after participating in Navreet Singh, young farmer who was killed during tractor rally on the Republic Day, on February 6. She went to Prayagraj on February 11 to take a holy dip at Sangam on Mauni Amavasya.
Priyanka was supposed to address another Kisan rally in Meerut on Monday but it was cancelled by her two days ago for some reasons.
