If Farmers are Terrorists, then BJP Should Vow Not to Eat What They Grow, Says Akhilesh Yadav

Coming down heavily on Centre over its action against the protesting farmers, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said that the BJP has humiliated the farmers in a worst manner by equating them to “terrorists”.

Calling Centre’s action against farmers a “conspiracy” to mortgage everything from small farmers and businessmen to the rich people, he said, “Humiliating the farmers as terrorists is the worst form of BJP. This is a conspiracy by the BJP for the rich to mortgage everything belonging to farmers, small business, shopkeeping, roads, transport everything, According to the BJP, if the farmers are terrorists, then the BJP should vow not to eat what farmers grow.”

Continuing his tirade against the BJP, Yadav said, “The farming community of the country is agitated and angry due to the anti-agricultural policies of the BJP government. Instead of adopting a positive stand on the demands of the farmers, the government is busy firing tear gas shells, cold water splashes and lathis on them which is grossly condemnable.”

“About 70 per cent of India is dependent on agriculture, yet in its own country, the BJP has made farmers beg. Promises like doubling their income, giving one and a half times the cost of production of their crops have become a ‘Jumla’ of the BJP government. Peaceful non-violent protest is the constitutional right of the people in a democracy, but the BJP government is not ready to listen to the farmers. This oppression of farmers will prove costly for BJP,” Yadav, who was a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, said.

On Saturday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said the protests against the central government’s farm laws was backed by political parties and alleged a Khalistani link. “The state has inputs of some unwanted elements raising pro-Khalistan slogans in the ongoing farmers’ protests in and around the national capital,” he told the media.

He categorically said he will share more details once the information “is concrete”.

“We’ve inputs of some such unwanted elements in crowd. We’ve reports, will disclose once it’s concrete. They raised such slogans. In videos they said ‘jab Indira Gandhi ko ye kar sakte hain, to Modi ko kyu nahi kar sakte’ (When it can be done to Indira Gandhi, why not Modi?),” said the Chief Minister.

This comes after farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, head towards the national capital as part of their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march to protest the Centre’s new agri-marketing laws. As thousands of protesters gathered at various entry points into the city, police used teargas shells, water cannons and multi-layer barriers to block them.

Meanwhile, protesting farmers were allowed to enter the national capital on Friday afternoon to hold a peaceful demonstration at a north Delhi Burari ground. The concession came after hours of a standoff that saw the police using teargas shells and water cannons, and the farmers pelting stones and breaking barricades in some places in their determination to push through.

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