Rahul Gandhi leads Congress protests against farm laws

Congress activists hit the streets across state capitals on Friday to protest against the high fuel prices and to demand repeal of the farm laws that has farmers from Punjab and Haryana protesting on the threshold of the national capital for the past 52 days.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined hundreds of party workers near the Raj Nivas, the official residence of Delhi Lt Governor, to express solidarity with the agitating farmers.

“These laws are not to help farmers, but to finish them,” Rahul said, leading the protest outside Raj Nivas.

Congress had given a call to observe January 15 as the 'Kisan Adhikar Diwas' in solidarity with the agitating farmers and demand the roll back of the farm sector reforms initiated by the Modi government.

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He said earlier the Modi government had tried to take away the land of farmers by amending the land acquisition act and now it was targeting farmers again through these farm laws.

Later, Rahul and Priyanka also visited Jantar Mantar, where three MPs and one MLA from Punjab have been protesting against the farm laws for more than a month.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not respect the farmers… the Congress is with farmers and will support them till these laws are withdrawn,” the former Congress President said.

In Uttar Pradesh, state Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu and several Congress workers were detained as they attempted to march towards Raj Bhavan to observe ‘Kisan Adhikar Diwas’.

Scuffles between Congress workers and the police were reported from other places as well as party workers attempting to reach the Raj Bhavans.

Ajay Kumar Lallu said that the Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh was infringing on their democratic right to hold a peaceful protest.

“The Congress will continue its fight against this kind of oppression,” he said.