NEW DELHI: Former congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the government should convene a joint session of parliament and withdraw that new agricultural laws.
“I want to tell the Prime Minister that these farmers will not return home until these farm laws are repealed. Opposition parties stand with farmers and workers,” Rahul Gandhi told reporters outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
If the prime minister doesn’t reverse these laws, the country will suffer, he claimed.
Rahul claimed that the way the laws were passed without discussion and consultation needed to be withdrawn.
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“It is an attack on the idea of India. The government is preventing our MPs from leaving our office … There is no democracy in India, it is just imagination, not reality,” attacked Rahul.
The leader of the congress went on to claim that only three to four people operate the system and said the party is fighting it.
“PM Modi makes money for the Crony capitalists. Anyone who tries to stand against him is called a terrorist – be it peasants, workers and even Mohan Bhagwat (RSS chief) “he said.
Rahul Gandhi, opposition leader in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, met President Ram Nath Kovind and called for the three farm laws to be withdrawn.
“The three of us went to the president, but took the farmers’ voice to the president by taking two crore signatures from farmers,” he said, adding, “the farmers are in pain and are dying too, the prime minister has to listen to them. ”
“We told the president that the laws are against farmers and that farmers and workers will suffer. The government said these laws are in favor of farmers, but the country sees farmers violating these laws,” Rahul Gandhi said .
Thursday’s Congress held a strong protest here in front of Congress headquarters after they were prevented from marching towards Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party members and leaders held a sit-in protest outside their office and were arrested by police in Delhi for violating prohibition orders.
Congress had planned a protest march from the party office on Akbar Road to Rashtrapati Bhawan, where Congress leaders would meet President Ram Nath Kovind and hand over a memorandum signed by two crore farmers.
However, the Delhi police imposed Section 144 CrPC around the Rashtrapati Bhawan, including the Congress Bureau, whereupon the protesting Congress leaders were arrested and taken to Mandir Marg Police Station.
Any contradiction against the center classified as elements of terror: Priyanka Gandhi
Any opposition to this government is classified as terrorist, said Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday, slamming the central government.
“We live in a democracy and they are elected MPs. They have the right to meet the president and they should be admitted. What’s the problem with that? The government is unwilling to hear voices from lakhs from farmers who are at Camping borders, “Priyanka said after the leaders of Congress were prevented from marching to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“Sometimes they say that we are so weak that we don’t qualify as an opposition, and sometimes they say that we are so powerful that we let farmers store lakhs on the border (from Delhi) for a month. They should first decide what we are, “she said.
Farmers have been protesting on the borders of Delhi against the new farm laws since November 26th.
(With contributions from agencies)