Modi govt drunk on power, not listening to the voice of farmers: Congress

Even as a stalemate between protesting farmers and the Centre on their protest venue in Delhi continued, the Congress on Sunday attacked the government for "being drunk on power and not listening to the voice of farmers".

"The government is drunk on power... Union Agriculture Minister and Home Minister say there will not be any talks with the farmers till December 3, in this harsh winter. Both Ministers do not have time for farmers until five days?" Congress Chief Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told a press conference.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji should himself talk to the delegation of farmers... Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar should publicly apologise for calling farmers terrorists and filing false cases against them," the Congress leader said.

The Congress asserted that Modi should leave aside his prejudices and talk openly about abolition of what it dubbed as three "anti-farming black laws".

"Why did the government target the rationing system, rendering labourers, workers and middlemen in mandis unemployed? When foodgrains will not be purchased at MSP, how will 86 crore people get grains through the public distribution system?" Surjewala asked.

The Congress leader alleged that the Modi government had told another lie to the farmers by telling them that they would be able to sell their crops in other states as well. "As many as 86 per cent farmers in India own less than 5 acres of land each. Out of that, 80 per cent farmers own 2 acres each. If they don't have the ability to sell outside their district, how will they sell their produce in other states?"

Here are some highlights from the press conference:

Prime Minister’s obduracy, Prime Minister’s arrogance, Prime Minister’s rigidity in dealing with 62 crore farmers and farm labourers of India is writ large by his insistence today in the ‘Mann Ki baat’ that the three anti-farmer, anti-agriculture laws forcibly passed in a illegal and unconstitutional fashion by Parliament are correct. For Prime Minister to say that these three laws are absolutely right, when lakhs and lakhs of farmers are sitting all around Delhi agitating, demanding their withdrawal shows that Modi Government is drunk with power and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi does not care about the welfare of farmers and farm labourers of India. It shows that a Government drunk with power is rigid even in re-contemplating and reconsidering the three anti-agriculture black laws.

If Home Minister of India has time to travel 1,200 kilometres to address a public meeting in Hyderabad, why does Shri Amit Shah not have time to go 15 kilometres to the border of Delhi and speak to the agitating farmers? Why is it that Agriculture Minister has taken out a date of 3rd December before which no conversation can be held? Have they consulted an astrologer for this purpose? What is the sanctity of 3rd December? Why have 12,000 FIRs been lodged on the farmers? Why is it that no conversation is taking place, no dialogue is taking place with the farmers? Why are India’s annadata, India’s 62 crore farmers being branded as terrorists by Modi Government as also the BJP Chief Ministers? Why is it that select news channels aided and abetted by Modi Government are out to prove that 62 crore farmers are antinational? Does this not show an absolute arrogance of power on part of Prime Minister and his Government?

The three anti agricultural laws have opened an opportunity for 4 or 5 crony capitalist friends of the Prime Minister to grab the 20-25 lakh crores agriculture commodities market by subverting and subjugating the interest of farmers, farm labourers, the small grain merchants, the labourer work and the employees working in the grain markets across India. It tantamounts to finishing forever the Minimum Support Price Mechanism which will be a death knell for the interest of the farmer. So, Prime Minister wants to barter the interest of 62 crore farmers at the altar of 4 or 5 capitalist friends of his and ensure that 20-25 lakh crore commodity market is now controlled by his 4 or 5 crony capitalist friends, but, Prime Minister has bitten more than he can chew for he does not realize that when 62 crore farmers rise in unison, the Delhi Darbar will be unseated and that is not a warning, that is a challenge to the Prime Minister.

(With inputs from IANS)