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Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at Chilkana in Saharanpur district . (Express photo by Abhinav Saha) CONGRESS LEADER Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday targeted the central government over the contentious farm laws, alleging that it only has corporate interests in mind. Addressing a farmers’ rally, she also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his “andolanjeevi” remark in Parliament, saying it was targeted at farmers.
The ‘kisan panchayat’ in Chilkana was the Congress party’s first such rally in Uttar Pradesh and follows similar rallies by the Rashtriya Lok Dal in this part of the state in the wake of the farmers’ protests at the Delhi borders.
Earlier in the day, the Congress general secretary visited the Shakumbari Devi Temple and Raipur Dargah in the district.
“This new law will help corporates. What you will sell, how much, at what cost, the corporates will decide. As per that law, they will set up private mandis. You will be taxed at sarkari mandis. This will force farmers to visit private mandis since they will have to pay more at the sakari mandis. The corporates in turn will stock the mandis themselves. All of these policies are against the farmers and we need to speak against them,” said Priyanka to the gathering of an estimated 7,000 people.
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She said the laws were “devilish” in nature, meant to make the farmer subservient to corporates. “I am sure all you farmers must be knowing well about the laws. The corporates will give you Rs 20 and make you grow wheat according to them. It will depend upon them how you grow things,” she said.
She said the Congress will do away with these farm laws if voted to power.
On PM Modi’s speech in Parliament, Priyanka said, “He insulted the farmers in Parliament. He used the term ‘andolanjeevi’ for farmers. What does it mean? These farmers are doing it for their families, sons. They are doing it for the land.”
