Rahul: Modi govt will finish farmers, labourers

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, October 5

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh today interacted with farmers and addressed rallies in Sangrur, Bhawanigarh and Samana on the second leg of the party’s Kheti Bachao Yatra. Navjot Sidhu did not attend any of these rallies.

Threat to agriculture sector jobs

Ambanis and Adanis will not use labour but deploy machines for farm sector operations, rendering lakhs jobless. Strengthen the mandi system, do not destroy it. Rahul Gandhi

Terming the Centre’s farm laws as an “attack on India’s soul”, Rahul Gandhi alleged that all of Modi government’s policies were “made for their three or four select friends” and that the PM would “finish” farmers and labourers with the new farm laws just as he had “destroyed” small shopkeepers with demonetisation and GST.

“PM Modi has been trying to destroy the mandi and MSP system — the foundation of India’s agriculture sector. If the BJP-led government succeeds in breaking the backbone of the farmers, industrialists Ambani and Adani will capture the country’s farm system,” Rahul warned.

“Ambanis and Adanis will not use labour but deploy machines for farm sector operations, rendering lakhs of people jobless. The need of the hour is to strengthen the mandi system, to correct the flaws rather than destroy it,” he maintained.

Capt Amarinder said his government would pass a resolution/Bill in the Vidhan Sabha to nullify the new farm laws. Mukhtiar Singh, a farmer from Kanjhla village, shared his problems with him. At a rally in Samana later, the CM announced that the controversial farm laws would be scrapped “once Rahul Gandhi becomes PM.”