Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the new farm laws, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday likened him to "arrogant kings in old stories", who never bothered about the people.
"The prime minister is behaving like the kings in old stories, whose arrogance increased with power...they confined themselves in their palaces and never bothered about the peoples' problems," Priyanka said while addressing a 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' in Muzaffarnagar district, about 500 kilometres from Lucknow.
"The prime minister has become an arrogant king...he does not understand that he should respect the farmers," she said.
“People started feeling afraid of telling the truth in front of him… they would be grovelling. It seems our prime minister has also become an arrogant king of that type. He is unable to understand that the jawan who has kept this country safe is a son of a farmer," she told the gathering.
She said the farmers had been holding a peaceful demonstration on the borders of Delhi but they were 'humiliated' and 'ridiculed'. "They (farmers) were beaten...power connection was cut off...the birders were turned into international borders...the PM called them parasites," Priyanka said.
"The prime minister laughs when there are tears in the eyes of Rakesh Tikait (farmer leader), she said and demanded that the Centre scrapped the farm laws.
"You (PM) say that the farm laws are for the benefit of the farmers...did you speak to them?... if they say they don't want it then you should withdraw the laws," Priyanka said.
The Congress leader also referred to the rocketing petroleum and LPG prices and said the government was not bothered about the problems faced by the common people.
In 2018, Priyanka Gandhi said, the cost of diesel was Rs 60 and today it is Rs 80 somewhere and Rs 90 elsewhere. "The electricity bill has increased, the price of the gas cylinder keeps on increasing, but you are not getting the price for your sugarcane. It is at the same place," she said.
"The BJP government earned Rs 3.5 lakh crore by imposing a tax on diesel last year. I want to ask where the money has gone. Why has the person who works day and night for the country, and irrigates it with his blood and sweat not got this money?" she asked. The Congress leader said there was nobody to listen to the farmer who is being harassed.
Referring to the ongoing farmer protests against the agri laws at various Delhi border points, she said "The Delhi border is five-six kilometres away from the residence of Narendra Modi-ji. And the prime minister, who can go to the United States, China and Pakistan, and tour the entire world… he could not go to the lakhs of farmers, nor wipe their tears, nor listen to their views. Why? Because his politics are only for himself and his billionaire and capitalist friends."
Priyanka Gandhi told the gathering that they would be surprised to see how much “one or two billionaire friends” had earned at a time the entire country is groaning and payments have not been made.
"Crores were earned, and you are sitting on roads, fighting for your rights and agitating, and no one is there to listen to you," she said. Elaborating on the farm laws, the Congress general secretary said the prime minister maintained the laws were made for the farmers.
“So can they say, which farmer has made it, which farmer was consulted? And if the farmers of the entire country are saying that Pradhan Mantriji, we do not need these laws, then why these laws are not withdrawn, why are they not scrapped?" Priyanka Gandhi asked.
Priyanka has been addressing farmers' meetings in western UP districts as part of her party's Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' campaign'.
(With inputs from PTI)
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