Chennai: On a day the eighth round of talks between the Centre and farmer leaders ended inconclusively, the Congress on Friday accused the government of trying to tire out the agitating farmers and stressed that repealing the three farm laws was the only solution to the issue.
The Congress also stepped up the offensive against the government by launching an online campaign in support of the farmers’ agitation, with senior party leader Rahul Gandhi accusing the Centre of betraying the farmers for benefitting their ‘corporate friends’.
The meeting between the government and representatives of protesting farmer unions on Friday failed to break the over-a-month-long deadlock with both sides sticking to their positions.
Hitting out at the Centre, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, ‘The Modi government has proved to be the most inhuman, arrogant and ruthless in the history of India. It can neither see the farmers dying due to the cold every day nor the economy coming to a standstill’.
‘It is trying to tire out the ‘annadata’ by playing the game of meetings with the farmers. But the farmer will neither tire out nor bow down and will not stop,’ he said in a tweet in Hindi.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met at senior party leader Rahul Gandhi’s residence party’s MPs and MLAs from Punjab who have been sitting in protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the repeal of the farm laws.
‘The only solution is to repeal the three farm laws. There is no other solution’, she told the protesting legislators during the meeting.
‘We have always stood by the farmers and we will not step back’, she added while reiterating the party’s support for farmers.
As part of the Congress’ online campaign, Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to seek support for the protesting farmers.
‘The Modi government has betrayed the ‘annadata’ of the country for the benefit of their capitalist friends. The farmers have spoken through their agitation. It is the duty of all of us to raise the voice of the ‘annadata’ and support their demands’, he tweeted in Hindi.