Rahul Gandhi asks PM Modi to clarify stand on Kangana’s remark on farm laws

New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday stepped up its attack on the BJP over its MP Kangana Ranaut’s remarks calling for bringing back the three farm laws with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify whether he is opposed to the comments or is “upto some mischief”.

The opposition party demanded that the actor-politician be expelled by the ruling party if it does not agree with her remarks.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also hit out at the BJP over Ranaut’s remarks and said the poll-bound states, including Haryana, would give a befitting reply to the ruling party.

Ranaut on Wednesday withdrew her remarks calling for bringing back the three farm laws and said those were her personal opinions and did not represent the party’s stand.

The actor-politician said she must remember that she is not only an artiste but also a BJP member now and her statements should be in line with her party’s policies.

The Congress on Tuesday shared on X a video in which Ranaut said in Hindi, “Farm laws that have been repealed should be brought back. I think this may get controversial. The laws in farmers’ interest be brought back. Farmers should themselves demand this (to bring farm laws back) so that there is no hindrance to their prosperity.

“Farmers are a pillar of strength in India’s progress. Only in some states, they had objected to farm laws. I appeal with folded hands that farm laws should be brought back in the interest of farmers,” she said.

In a video statement, Gandhi said, “The BJP people keep testing ideas. They ask someone to voice an idea among the people and then they see the reaction. This is what has happened, one of their MPs has talked about reviving the three black farm laws. Modi ji you must clarify, whether you are against this or you are again up to some mischief.”

“Will the three farm laws be revived or not? If you do so, I guarantee you that the INDIA bloc will together stand against it. 700 people were martyred, they must be remembered and respected,” he said.

“Modi ji had not allowed two minutes silence for them, we will never forget this,” he said.

In a post in Hindi on X along with his video, Gandhi said, “Who is deciding the government’s policy? A BJP MP or Prime Minister Modi?”

“Even after the martyrdom of more than 700 farmers, especially the farmers of Haryana and Punjab, the BJP people are not satisfied. INDIA will not allow any conspiracy of BJP against our farmers to succeed — If any step is taken to harm the farmers, Modi ji will have to apologize again,” the Congress leader said.

In an apparent response to Ranaut’s remarks, Kharge said, “Even after the martyrdom of 750 farmers, the anti-farmer BJP and Modi government did not realize their grave crime! There is talk of re-implementation of the three black anti-farmer laws. The Congress Party strongly opposes this.”

The 62 crore farmers will not forget that the Modi government crushed the farmers under a vehicle, used barbed wire, teargas from drones, nails and guns against them.

“This time, poll-bound states, including Haryana, will give a befitting reply to insulting remarks, calling farmers ‘andolanjeevi’ and ‘parasites’, hurled by the prime minister himself in Parliament,” the Congress chief said in a post in Hindi.

“Due to Modi ji’s statements, his ministers, MPs and propaganda machinery have become habituated to insulting the farmers,” he alleged.

“In 10 years, the Modi government has broken three promises made to the country’s food producers’“ doubling the income of farmers by 2022, implementing input cost + 50% MSP as per the Swaminathan Report and legal guarantee for MSP,” Kharge said.

“When the farmers’ agitation was withdrawn, Modi ji had announced a government committee, which is still in cold storage. The Modi government is against the legal guarantee of MSP,” he alleged.

No relief was given to the families of the farmers who died and the Modi government did not even consider it appropriate to observe two minutes of silence in their memory in Parliament, Kharge alleged.

On top of that, their character assassination is going on continuously, he said.

The whole country has come to know that “anti-farmer hateful mindset” is present in every part of the BJP, the Congress president added.

Asked about Ranaut’s remarks, Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said, “More than 750 were martyred and this is an insult to those martyred. If I make a serious statement which is not in line with my party, the party would expel me, has the BJP expelled her? If you do not agree with her remarks, why are you not expelling her?”

“It is my demand that the BJP should expel her and if it does not do that, the loud and clear message is that Modi and the BJP are insulting the memory of the martyred farmers, they are insulting farmers and he wants to benefit his friends to bring back the three farm laws,” Gohil said at a press conference here.

The three laws — Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act — were repealed in November 2021.

The farmers’ protest started at the fag-end of November 2020 and ended after Parliament repealed the three laws. The legislations came into force in June 2020 and were repealed in November 2021.