Speaking at a mahapanchayat in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, Congress Leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday, 10 February, said that the Prime Minister had the time to go to Pakistan and China, but not to visit farmers.
According to NDTV, the Congress leader said:
“The Prime Minister had time to go to Pakistan, he had time to go to China, but he did not have time to visit the bordering areas of his own constituency and meet farmers.”
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was attending the mahapanchayat as part of Congress party’s 10-day ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ campaign.
‘PM Insults Farmers By Calling Them Andolanjeevi’
Further, speaking at the event, Priyanka, according to NDTV, said:
“The Prime Minister himself insults farmers, that too in the Parliament, by calling them andolanjeevi (someone who lives for agitation).”
PM Narendra Modi had in his reply to the presidential address in the Parliament, with reference to those behind protests, reportedly said:
"There is a new crop of andolanjeevi. They live for protests. They look for ways to start a new movement...the country needs to be aware of these andolanjeevi.”
‘The Real Anti-National’
Further according to ANI, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said:
“In 1955, Jawaharlal Nehru had made laws against hoarding. But this law has been scrapped by the BJP govt. This new law will help the arabpatis. They will decide the price of farmers' produce.”
She also, according to NDTV said that the government was being the real anti-national.
“They (the government) call the farmers anti-national, but in reality, it is them who are anti-national.”Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Background
Besides Saharanpur Priyanka Gandhi, according to IANS, will be visiting Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts to attend the Mahapanchayat.
The Congress general secretary will later hold similar ‘Kisan Sabhas’ on Saturday in Meerut and Bijnor as well, reported IANS.
Naresh Saini, Congress MLA from Behat in Saharanpur reportedly told IANS: "During her visit, Priyanka will offer prayers at the Shakumbhari Mata temple and also visit a shrine. After that, she will hold a kisan sabha in the Chilkana area."
Gandhi's Saharanpur visit was earlier scheduled for 8 February, but permission for it was denied by the local administration.
"The venue was later shifted outside the city limits," Saini said, according to IANS.
The party has also reportedly prepared an audio visual tape and will be distributing pamphlets highlighting the farmers' plight.
All the Congress leaders have been brought in, including former state chiefs of the party – Salman Khurshid, Raj Babbar, and Nirmal Khatri – to join the yatra, reported IANS.
The party's aim is to connect with all the communities and take the farmers' issue to the people and also garner support.
Priyanka Gandhi had also recently visited Rampur and met the family members of Navreet Singh, a farmer who died during the tractor rally violence in Delhi on Republic Day.
(With inputs from IANS, NDTV and ANI.)
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