NEW DELHI, May 18: The Congress on Saturday asked why Narendra Modi has “broken” his promise of giving legal sanctity to a minimum support price for crops and why he prioritises his politics over the country’s daughters, as the prime minister hits the campaign trail in Haryana.
Referring to the protest by women wrestlers from Haryana, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the prime minister did not take action against his party’s MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is accused of “molestation” by the women wrestlers.
“Today’s questions for the outgoing prime minister in Haryana: Why has the prime minister broken his promise of legal MSP for farmers? Will Prime Minister Modi always prioritise his politics over India’s and Haryana’s daughters? Why do atrocities on Dalits pick up in BJP-ruled states like Haryana?” he asked in a post on X.
Referring to the farmers’ demand for legal guarantee on a minimum support price (MSP) for crops, Ramesh alleged that Haryana’s farmers have completely lost trust in the “duplicitous Modi sarkar”.
When the farmers’ protests were called off in 2021, they left after being reassured by the prime minister and his government that their demands would be met, Ramesh said.
“However, over time, the Modi sarkar’s dialogue with farmers’ organisations slowed down and the BJP appointed a biased committee to deliberate on the MSP question, from which one independent member had quickly resigned. After this betrayal, farmers’ organisations were forced to take the streets once again to make their voices heard,” he said.
“Instead of listening to them, the Modi sarkar lathi-charged and tear-gassed them. Last year, Haryana’s farmers struggled due to unseasonal rains and storms that caused widespread crop damage. Why has the Modi sarkar continued to ignore their plight?” he asked.
The Congress leader claimed that the party’s Nyay Patra has promised a legal guarantee for MSP, according to recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, as well as farm loan waivers and the payment of crop insurance within 30 days.
“What is the BJP’s vision to ensure that Haryana’s farmers can make a stable, decent living?” Ramesh asked.
He also alleged that Modi has once again failed India’s daughters.
Rather than punishing party MP Singh for “his heinous crimes” against India’s women wrestlers, the BJP rewarded him with a ticket for his son Karan Bhushan Singh from the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat, he charged.
“This has come as a slap in the face to all of India’s daughters who put their careers at stake and slept on the streets for days, through sun and rain, in their fight for justice,” the Congress general secretary said.
“It has become clear that in ‘Modi ka Parivar’, Nari Shakti is just a slogan that is projected while the parivar (family) shelters perpetrators of sexual violence, be it Prajwal Revanna or Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Will women ever be safe in Modi’s India? Will the prime minister’s hunger for power always be more important than the safety of India’s and Haryana’s daughters?” he asked.
Ramesh also alleged that under BJP rule, Haryana has become notorious for violence and discrimination against the Scheduled Caste community.
From being prohibited from using village hand-pumps to outright violence and sexual assault, Dalits have faced constant threats to their dignity and safety in the state, he claimed.
“When victims of these crimes approach the courts for justice, they are socially boycotted by dominant castes. Why is it that Scheduled Castes have to increasingly fear for their safety in BJP-ruled states? Does Prime Minister Modi feel no shame for the countless atrocities that Dalits have endured under his watch?” he asked, urging Modi to break his silence on these issues.
Modi will on Saturday address poll rallies in Haryana’s Ambala and Sonipat as part of his poll campaign. (PTI)
