Addressing a public rally in Haryana on Tuesday, 6 October, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned PM Narendra Modi over the passage of the farm laws, asking if the move had been for the good of the farmers, and if so, why there was a widespread protest by the same people.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi's tractor rally, beginning from Nurpur in Patiala as a part of the party's 'Kheti Bachao Yatra', was briefly stopped at Haryana border. However, the rally was eventually allowed to enter Haryana.
“If this move was for the good of the farmers, why did you do this amid the coronavirus pandemic? You thought farmers would not be able to put up a fight now. But Modiji, you are wrong” Gandhi said, saying that India’s farmers knew how to fight and would not budge an inch.
Further, he said that if mandis were closed, lakhs of people who work at these will be unemployed. “Where will those people working at the mandis go if they are closed?” said Gandhi.
Gandhi was accompanied by Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and Punjab Congress Chief Sunil Jakhar in his tractor rally on Tuesday.
Informing the public about being stopped at the border, Gandhi had earlier tweeted that he was willing to wait as long as was required.
"They have stopped us on a bridge on the Haryana border. I’m not moving and am happy to wait here.1 hour, 5 hours, 24 hours, 100 hours, 1000 hours or 5000 hours," tweeted Gandhi.
However, shortly after his tweet, Gandhi was allowed to pass.
The Congress has announced that as a part of its Kheti Bachao Yatra, Rahul Gandhi will hold a series of meetings with farmers across the country.
Farmers Hold Protests in Sirsa
Meanwhile, farmers held protests against the farm laws in Haryana’s Sirsa on Tuesday, coming out onto the streets in huge numbers, ANI reported. The police used water cannons to disperse them.
In a video, the farmers were seen chanting slogans as police set up barricades to restrain them.
Earlier in the day, Hindustan Times reported that security was tightened outside the houses of Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and his grand uncle Ranjit Chautala, in Sirsa, following the call for the protest by two dozen farmer organisations, seeking their resignation from the Manohar Lal Khattar government.
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