Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday, 27 February, slammed the Narendra Modi government over the farmers' protest, saying, "the reward to the farm sector for growing at 3.9 percent in a recession year is to treat the protesting farmers as if they were enemies of the state."
"The PM travels from Kerala to Assam but does not have the time or inclination to travel 20 kms to meet the farmers on the borders of Delhi. Yet he will claim that he has doubled the farmers' income," the former finance minister tweeted.
Chidambaram's remarks come as the protests against the three contentious farm laws continue at several sites, including near the borders of Delhi-NCR. The three main protest sites include the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders.
The protesting farmers have demanded the repeal of the laws as well as a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), while the Centre has agreed only to amend the legislations.
While the farmers have said that the laws will lead to the dismantling of the MSP system and prioritising of corporate interests, the government has argued that it will enable them to sell their produce more freely.
Several rounds of talks have been held between the farmers' unions and the government, but the impasse remains.
Last month, on 26 January, violence had erupted in several parts of Delhi during the farmers' Republic Day tractor rally.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)