NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday sharpened his attacks on Narendra Modi and the BJP-led government at the Centre over the three contentious farm laws and said there was "no democracy" in India as anyone who dared to stand up against the Prime Minister are either labelled "terrorists" or "anti-social", even if that person "be (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat".
Speaking to the media after meeting President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhawan along with senior party leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gandhi said, he has urged the President to ask the government to reconsider the farmers' demands as the agitators will not be demoralised just by making them wait at the borders of the national capital. He said the farmers consider the new laws against their livelihood and would not give up until their demands are met.
"There should be a joint session of Parliament and the new laws should be rolled back. The entire opposition is with the farmers and will remain so until steps to undo the wrong done on farmers is afoot.
"We did not go to the President alone but took along with us two crore signatures seeking these demands. farmers are facing hard times. In the cold they are toiling and some have even died. Prime Minister Modi has to hear them," Gandhi said.
"Why doesn't the PM listen when there is still time to make amends. I had spoken out against the late and lackadaisical attitude of the government when the Corona pandemic broke out. They were slow. "Now again they are not doing the needful while time is of essence. No government can withstand the force of the farmers, labourers, common man. Whoever will try to stand against them will not do well.
"For our PM has crony capitalist to favour," Gandhi said answering a query on why the farmers were being branded "terrorists and leftists". "They will be called a terrorist — be it farmers, labourers or anyone. If one day even Mohan Bhagwat stands up against him he will be branded terrorist. Anybody absolutely anybody who try to take away power from these people will be crushed as terrorists," he said, referring to the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The RSS is the ideological mentor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This was Rahul Gandhi's major attack on the Centre over the farm laws despite his early and initial tractor movement in Punjab right after the "black laws" were passed.
"We stand alongside our farmer brothers and sisters. We are opposing the three farm laws. The way in which these laws were passed without debating and without discussing it with farmers and labourers shows it was undemocratic in nature."
He said that no one can withstand the farmers' courage and agitation. "If the three farm laws are not repealed then it is not only the BJP or the RSS but the entire country will pay for it. Farmers, labourers are the backbone of this nation. By robbing them of their livelihood this government is harming the entire nation. It is only aiding the crony capitalists which it keeps close by," Rahul Gandhi said. "Those who try to stand against Modi's leadership, will be thrashed and beaten that is their way of handling things. But it will not work. Not this time, not ever. They will have to understand," he said. (IANS)