RAMPUR: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday met family members of a man who died during the January 26 protests in Delhi. She said that the government should repeal the new agri laws, instead of branding farmers “terrorists” and their agitation a “political conspiracy”.
She met Navreet Singh’s family and also attended a prayer ceremony for him at Dibdiba village in Uttar Pradesh‘s Rampur district.
“If there is any bigger wrong other than the three farm laws, which the government should take back but is not doing so, it is that martyrs are branded as terrorists and the farmers’ agitation is seen as a political conspiracy,” the Congress general secretary said.
Leaders who cannot hear the pain of the poor, farmers and countrymen are of no use, Priyanka Gandhi said after the prayer meeting for 27-year-old Singh who died after his tractor overturned during the farmers tractor parade in the national capital on Republic Day.
“Names are given to those who raise their voice. But it is never said come and tell us about the pain in your heart as you are our countrymen,” she said.
Farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting against the laws for over two months at Delhi borders that have been fortified with barricades, cement blocks, concertina wires, spikes and deployment of heavy police and paramilitary personnel.
“This is not the moment for political talk but we cannot tolerate such ‘julm’. The fact is that this is not a political agitation but an actual agitation of farmers and every countryman,” Priyanka Gandhi said.
“I have come here to tell this family that you are not alone. Every single countryman is with you, be it of any religion, and farmers of every corner of the country are with you and we are with you,” she said.
The Congress leader said that her party will fight for the repeal of the “black” laws.
“I want to tell the grandfather of the deceased farmer (Navreet Singh) that we will not allow his grandson’s martyrdom go in vain. I have come here to tell you this. I hope you have the same thought in your hearts,” she said
He (Navreet Singh) might have reached Delhi thinking that tolerating wrong is wrong and hoping that may be the government will hear farmers’ voice, but nothing of this sort happened, Priyanka Gandhi said.
During her visit, Priyanka Gandhi was accompanied by senior Congress leaders, including Uttar Pradesh party unit chief Ajay Kumar Lallu.
Earlier in the morning, three to four vehicles in the Congress leader’s cavalcade hit each other on a highway in Hapur district.
No one was hurt in the incident that took place near Gajraula area. The vehicles at the end of the convoy hit each other, media in-charge of the Congress Lalan Kumar said in Lucknow.
Lallu had retweeted a post which had a video of him along with Priyanka Gandhi seated in a car enroute to Rampur.
A video of Priyanka Gandhi wiping the windscreen of her car went viral on social media.
Congress, among other opposition parties including BJP’s former allies Shiromani Akali Dal and Shiv Sena, has lent its support to the farmers agitation.
Farmers are protesting against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020
The Centre has maintained that the laws are pro-farmer.