Amid tensions, Congress attacks BJP for ‘anti-farmer’ attitude

The Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP of having an “anti-farmer” attitude, which has come to light following the Kurukshetra Police’s lathi-charge on protesting farmers on Tuesday. The farmers are protesting the government’s decision to procure sunflower seeds at non-minimum support price (MSP) and have demanded legal guarantees for MSP. In a swipe at the government, the Opposition party said the ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ slogan given by former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri has been overturned into ‘mare kisan, pite kisan, jai dhanwan’ (Farmers die, farmers beaten up, hail the rich). Three farmer leaders, along with several of their supporters were rounded up after farmers blocked a highway near Shahabad in Kurukshetra, Haryana, for over six hours on Tuesday demanding that the government procure sunflower seeds at MSP.
The blockade also affected vehicular movement on the Delhi-Chandigarh and Delhi-Ludhiana-Amritsar routes. Police used water cannons and resorted to lathi-charging protestors to disperse the crowds. Kurukshetra Police Superintendent S.S. Bhoria said that the people who took the law into their hands would be investigated. “This is a National Highway, so the protest was blocking the way of many people. Following all the protocols, we asked them to leave. The situation is now peaceful whereas some people were detained. An investigation against the people who took the law into their hands will be done. We will take the necessary action.”The Superintendent said that the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday directed the highway be kept open for free flow and movement of traffic, without any hindrance. However, at the same time, the court order made it clear that the administration shall exercise utmost restraint and use force to disperse the mob gathered at the spot only as a last resort. A copy of the court order was handed over to Charuni but the protesters did not budge, the SP said. Later, a warning was issued to the protesters to vacate the highway, but they refused. The police used water cannons and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the protesters, he said.
The farmers blocked the Delhi-Chandigarh national highway in front of the Shaheed Udham Singh memorial, about 25 km from Kurukshetra, following a call given by Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni, who was among the three farmer leaders detained by police.
Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary for Communications, Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to claim that the government was “attacking” farmers in the state. “Sometimes farmers are attacked by bringing Land Acquisition Ordinance and ‘black agricultural laws’ and sometimes they are assaulted directly, as happened in Kurukshetra.” Congress MP Deepender Hooda also chimed in, saying Tuesday’s incident was a “symbol of this government’s betrayal” of farmers. “The Congress demands that the farmers’ plea that sunflower seeds be bought at MSP be accepted and those arrested be given financial compensation,” Hooda said. Hooda also claimed that the Congress was the “only party” that had promised legal guarantees for MSP and announced that it would be included in the party’s manifesto for the 2024 general elections.
The protesting farmers claimed the government was not buying sunflower seeds at the MSP and claimed that they are being forced to sell their produce to private buyers at around Rs 4,000 per quintal as against the MSP of Rs 6,400.
They said they had given the government time till Monday to accept their demand, but it did not pay heed. The farmers have also demanded that the government move to include sunflower seeds under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana. Under this scheme, they say that the government will pay a fixed compensation of Rs 1,000 per quintal for produce sold below the MSP.