Farmer's Protest: Sonia Gandhi Hits Out At Centre Calls Them 'Arrogant', Demands Repeal Of Laws

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Sunday said that for the first time since independence such an 'arrogant' government has come to power that cannot see the sufferings of the farmers. She demanded that the new farm laws be immediately withdrawn while addressing the farmers' protest.

Sonia Gandhi criticised the Centre for its incapability of solving the issue. She spoke in Hindi and said that the governments and their leaders who ignore public sentiments in a democracy cannot govern for long and it is now quite clear that the protesting farmers will not bow in the face of the Centre's policy of 'tire and pushover'.

"There is still time, the Modi government should leave the arrogance of power and immediately withdraw the three black laws unconditionally to end the agitation of the farmers who are dying in the cold and rain. This is Rajdharma and a true tribute to the farmers who have lost their lives," Gandhi added.

Expressing her sentiments and support to the farmers she said, "Along with the people of the country, I am also disturbed seeing the conditions of the 'annadatas' who have been agitating for 39 days at the borders of Delhi in the bitter cold and rain in support of their demands."

"In the wake of the governments' apathy, so far, more than 50 farmers have lost their lives with some even taking the step of committing suicide due to the government's neglect," she further added.

The Congress President further said, "But neither the heartless Modi government relented nor the Prime Minister or any other Minister uttered a word of consolation till today. I pay my respects to all the deceased farmer brothers and pray to the Lord to give their families the strength to bear this sorrow."

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She said that the Central government should remember that democracy means protecting the interests of the people and the farmers-workers. "It seems that ensuring profits for a handful of industrialists has become the main agenda of this government," Gandhi alleged.

Braving the cold, thousands of farmers have been protesting near  the national capital for more than a month now. The farmers are mainly from Punjab and Haryana. They started the protest against the three farm laws, rise in power tariff, penalties for stubble burning and also the legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP).

There have been several rounds of discussion between the farmers and the government.

Also Read: Delhi: Women Farmers Protest for Fair Price for Their Produce