Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to “hand over” the entire agriculture business to his “two friends”.
Addressing a massive Kisan tractor rally at Rupangarh, district Ajmer in Rajasthan, he said 40 per cent people of the country are stakeholders of the farming business.
“It is the business of 40 per cent people, which includes farmers, small and medium businessmen, traders, labourers. Narendra Modi wants to give this entire business to his two friends. This is the objective of the farm laws,” he claimed but did not name anyone.
He said that it is a mistake to think that only farmers are standing up in protest against these farm laws, workers and small/medium traders are also standing behind them. And it should be remembered that with the implementation of these laws not only the farmers but also the small traders, street vendors will become jobless.
It Should be noted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday inside parliament attacked the government for the three agriculture laws that have triggered protests by farmers at Delhi’s borders, saying these legislations will allow industrialists to buy unlimited quantity of foodgrains and hoard them.
Gandhi also dramatically led his party members and those from the TMC and the DMK to observe a two-minute silence by standing to mourn the death of “200 farmers” during the ongoing agitation and said he was doing this as the government has not paid tributes to those who died during the protests.
Lending his support to the ongoing farmers’ protests, he said in Lok Sabha that it was not an agitation of the farmers only but a movement of the country and the government will have to repeal the laws.
“The intent of the three laws is to allow industrialists to buy unlimited quantity of foodgrains and hoard them as much as they want,” he said.
“The new farm laws will destroy India’s food security system and will hurt rural economy,” he said.
The Congress leader also said that the farmers are not going anywhere but will overthrow the government.
Gandhi cited the old family planning slogan ‘hum do hamare do’ (we two, our two) to attack the government and said just 4-5 people are running the country.
This policy, he said, has been in play in demonetisation, Goods and Services tax, lockdown and most recently, the three farm laws passed in September that have had the farmers across the country up in arms.
“You all must remember the saying we used for family planning — ‘Hum do, hamare do’. This government has given that slogan a new meaning. The country is run by four people. ‘Hum do, aur hamare do’,” he said.
He, however, did not name anyone, declaring instead “everyone knows them”.
On the farmers’ protest, he said, “You all feel that this is a farmers’ protest, but you all are very wrong.
This is India’s protest… the farmers are just leading the way,” he said.
This is because the farm laws, he said, will not only ruin farmers, but finish the middlemen and have a “devastating effect” on small shopkeepers, small businessmen. It will be a “massive blow” to small and medium enterprise, which will “destroy” India’s rural economy, he said.
“India will not be able to generate growth, generate jobs… all because the backbone of our nation will have been destroyed for the benefit of ‘Hum do, aur humaare do’,” Rahul Gandhi added.
“The intent of the first farm law is to ensure that farmers’ produce is sold to a top few industrialists – one of whom is known by all as the government’s first friend. The intent of the second farm law is to ensure the benefits of the law go to the second friend,” he said.
“The intent of the government is clear – they want to break the backbone of India by breaking the farmer, labourer, small shop owners, middleman, and feed the pieces to these friends – the top industrialists,” added the Congress leader.
“The farmers and labourers of this nation will destroy you. You will never win against them. The farmers will not move an inch back… you will have to repeal these laws. You will lose in the end, that is certain,” he added.
