Gehlot accuses Modi of mocking farmers in Parliament

Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “mocked” the farmers in an animated manner and called them “andolanjeevi”, but those theatrics were missing when he announced the repeal of three farm laws.

Gehlot claimed that the Modi dispensation decided to repeal the farm laws under pressure of the assembly elections in five states, including Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, and that the government was “scared”.

“The prime minister was speaking in Parliament with ‘latke-jhatke’ (gestures), which he usually does. On Friday, those ‘latke-jhatke’ were missing, Gehlot said.

He also asked why Modi chose to make the announcement at 9 am when people are engaged in household chores and gearing up for work.

“Around 15-20 of their leaders (BJP and allies) made sarcastic comments against the farmers. They referred to the farmers as Khalistanis and naxals. Imagine the plight of the ‘annadatas’ (farmers) when such remarks were made against them,” Gehlot said at the Kisan Vijay Diwas programme in Jaipur.

Modi and parliamentarians from the ruling party “mocked and laughed” at the farmers. However, they all got “exposed” on Friday when an apology was tendered, the chief minister alleged.

Gehlot claimed that the BJP was afraid of the elections and therefore, its national president JP Nadda, defence minister and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Rajnath Singh, and Home Minister Amit Shah were looking after booth management.

Democracy and the Constitution are under threat. Fascist people, who have nothing to do with the farmers, are in power, he alleged.

Raking up the Lakhimpur Kheri issue, Gehlot said it was unfortunate that Union Minister of State Ajay Mishra had not been sacked.

AICC general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken cautioned the farmers and Congress leaders to be alert as, according to him, the intention of the government was malafide .

The government brought an ordinance to extend the tenure of the Enforcement Directorate and CBI heads. A similar thing should have been done to repeal the farm laws. We doubt the intention of the central government and hence, we need to exercise caution, he said.