Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kangana Ranaut speaks to the media as she leaves the Parliament House.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Congress on Wednesday (September 25, 2024) stepped up its attack on the BJP over its MP Kangana Ranaut’s remarks calling for bringing back the three farm laws, demanding that the actor-politician be expelled by the ruling party if it does not agree with her remarks.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday slammed the BJP over Ms. Ranaut’s remarks calling for bringing back the three farm laws that were repealed in 2021 and said the poll-bound States, including Haryana, would give a befitting reply to the ruling party.
Ms. Ranaut on Wednesday withdrew her remarks calling for bringing back the three farm laws and said those were her personal opinions and did not represent the party’s stand.
The actor-politician said she must remember that she is not only an artiste but also a BJP member now and her statements should be in line with her party’s policies.
The Congress on Tuesday (September 24, 2024) shared on X a video in which she said in Hindi, “Farm laws that have been repealed should be brought back. I think this may get controversial. The laws in farmers’ interest be brought back. Farmers should themselves demand this (to bring farm laws back) so that there is no hindrance to their prosperity.
“Farmers are a pillar of strength in India’s progress. Only in some States, they had objected to farm laws. I appeal with folded hands that farm laws should be brought back in the interest of farmers,” she had said.
In an apparent response to Ms. Ranaut’s remarks, Mr. Kharge said, “Even after the martyrdom of 750 farmers, the anti-farmer BJP and Modi government did not realize their grave crime! There is talk of re-implementation of the three black anti-farmer laws. The Congress Party strongly opposes this.”
“The 62 crore farmers will not forget that the Modi government crushed the farmers under a vehicle, used barbed wire, teargas from drones, nails and guns against them.”
“This time, poll-bound states, including Haryana, will give a befitting reply to insulting remarks, calling farmers ‘andolanjeevi’ and ‘parasites’, hurled by the prime minister himself in Parliament,” the Congress chief said in a post in Hindi.
“Due to Modi ji’s statements, his Ministers, MPs and propaganda machinery have become habituated to insulting the farmers,” he alleged.
“In 10 years, the Modi government has broken three promises made to the country’s food producers’ doubling the income of farmers by 2022, implementing input cost + 50% MSP as per the Swaminathan Report and legal guarantee for MSP,” Mr. Kharge said.
“When the farmers’ agitation was withdrawn, Modi ji had announced a government committee, which is still in cold storage. The Modi government is against the legal guarantee of MSP,” he alleged.
No relief was given to the families of the farmers who died and the Modi government did not even consider it appropriate to observe two minutes of silence in their memory in Parliament, Mr. Kharge alleged.
On top of that, their character assassination is going on continuously, he added.
The whole country has come to know that “anti-farmer hateful mindset” is present in every part of the BJP, the Congress president said.
Asked about Ms. Ranaut’s remarks, Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said, “She is not an RSS-BJP worker, she got a ticket at the behest of PM Modi. So when she speaks, PM Modi should condemn this. Why hasn’t he condemned it?”
“More than 750 were martyred and this is an insult to those martyred. If I make a serious statement which is not in line with my party, the party would expel me, has the BJP expelled her? If you do not agree with her remarks, why are you not expelling her?” he said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters here.
“Your (the BJP) intentions are visible that you want to bring back the farm laws that is why you get statements made by your minions. So it is my demand that the BJP should expel her and if it does not do that, the loud and clear message is that Modi and the BJP are insulting the memory of the martyred farmers, they are insulting farmers and he wants to benefit his friends to bring back the three farm laws,” Mr. Gohil said.
Published – September 25, 2024 04:55 pm IST
