New Delhi: As the ninth round of talks between the Centre and farmers failed to resolve the deadlock over the three agriculture laws, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the government wants to “tire out” the protestors by engaging them over long discussions.
“There is no deadlock. The government, in its arrogance, believes that they can tire out farmers. But farmers cannot be fooled. Indian farmers know more than the Prime Minister.
There is only one solution that they have to take back the laws,” Gandhi said while addressing a press conference after releasing a booklet over the three Central farm laws at the party headquarters in Delhi.
The former Congress chief extended support to farmers who are agitating against the agriculture laws for over a month now.
“Now we are seeing that the last bastion, which was protected from monopoly is now being overrun. Three new laws have been passed. They are designed to destroy Indian agriculture, by destroying the mandi, Essential Commodities Act and by making sure that no Indian farmer can go to court to protect himself,” Gandhi said.
“To me, it is a tragedy that this entire country is just watching this ridiculous show. It is a tragedy it shows me that the country itself is not able to understand the depth of what is happening. The result of this is three-four people are going to own India and the entire agricultural system. Farmers will not get the value they deserve. The mandi system will be destroyed. Only three-four people will be able to store a million tonnes of wheat, rice, and other essential commodities and the middle class will be paying prices that they have never imagined,” he added.
The Wayanad MP termed farmers as patriots and appealed to citizens to support them. “This is what I want to tell youngsters, realise that your independence is being taken away, realise that this happened before and we fought this… Why are farmers of Punjab and Haryana standing? They are patriots of this country who are protecting the livelihood of 60 per cent of this country. I support them 100 per cent. I go further, every single Indian should support them because they are fighting for us, not themselves,” Gandhi asserted.
Asked to comment on BJP chief Jagat Prakash Nadda’s tweet against him, Gandhi said: “…Farmers know the reality. All farmers know what Rahul Gandhi does. Nadda ji was not at Bhatta Parsaul. I have a character, I am not scared of Narendra Modi or anyone, they can’t touch me but they can shoot me. I am a patriot and will protect my country. It is my dharma. I am more fanatic than them.”
“The rice, wheat you (middle class) buy comes at the rate you purchase because of APMC and the agricultural system. This is not an assault on farmers but on the middle class and on every single youngster in the country, who is not able to get a job,” he said.
Farmers have been protesting at the different borders of the national capital since November last year, against the three newly enacted farm laws — 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.