Shadow Correspondent
JAMMU, OCT 04:
J&K Congress leaders under the leadership of JKPCC Vice President Raman Bhalla today took out protest rally from Bhour Camp to Karan Bagh Chowk Gadigarh against arrest of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, while she was on her way to visit the kin of the victims of Sunday’s violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district and killing of innocent farmers. The protest was organized by Congress Refugee Cell Vice Chairman & Block President Amrit Bali. Prominent among those present on the occasion include Sr. Vice president District Rural Sarpanch Ravinder Singh, Gurmeet Kour, Rajinder Singh, Pawan Bhagat, Jagmohan Sharma, Chandan Sharma, Kewal Krishan, Asa Singh, Baldev Singh, Gurbachan Kour, Kapoor Lal, Sunil Slathia, Rajesh Sharma Babbi and others. The protesters holding placards and flags raised slogans against UP Govt and demanded immediate arrest of all those who are involved in this heinous crime. Later a candle light tribute was paid to farmers who were killed yesterday in UP to express solidarity with bereaved families in this pal of gloom.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla strongly condemned the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri, where eight people including four farmers were killed in a protest against two BJP ministers. The apathy of the BJP towards our farmer brethren pains us deeply. Our farmers will always have our unconditional support. No one is above the law ,FIR under sec 302 IPC must be registered against Union Minister’s son for murder of innocent farmers, he should be immediately arrested and put behind the bars for this barbaric act.
It is a shocking example of arrogance and hatred towards the farmers by BJP leaders. Farmers are fighting not for themselves but for India and food security. We stand with the farmers. The killing of four farmers is an unforgivable crime by the BJP government,” he alleged. He hit out at the BJP and said that people will take revenge for the “bullets” through the “ballot”.Sometimes ballots of the poor are more powerful than the bullets of the oppressors. Nothing can stop the farmers, They will fight, they will win,” he said
Bhalla slammed Uttar Pradesh government over police “manhandling” party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Lucknow.
He said Priyanka Gandhi was acting as a responsible leader without disturbing peace.Like any other responsible political leader in the country, she felt it was her duty to meet the families of those who were brutally treated and terrorised by the Uttar Pradesh police,” he said.”The Uttar Pradesh has unfolded mayhem over the last few days against those who have been protesting against this unconstitutional law.
The state is functioning like a banana republic. All civil liberties are violated. The Congress party stands with all protesting against this unconstitutional law,” he said.He said such incidents cannot deter Congress and it will continue visiting the state without violating any law.She “didn’t violate Section 144 but even then she was manhandled by police”, he said.The alleged incident occurred when Priyanka Gandhi was heading to the residence of retired IPS officer SR Darapuri, who was arrested in connection with the recent anti-CAA protests.
Bhalla claimed that the police tried to stop her, she was surrounded, held by the throat by a female cop and pushed by another as she was walking towards Darapuri’s residence in Indiranagar’s sector 18. BJP Govt fails to act against guilty, BJP Govt illegally arrests Priyankaji for wanting to meet families! How much does BJP hate the farmers of the country? Don’t they have the right to live? If they raise their voice, they will be shot or crushed under a car.
This is a country of farmers not the fiefdom of BJP’s brutal ideology,” he said. Farmers’ agitation will be strengthened further and their voice will be louder,” he said. A judicial probe should immediately be ordered into the incident and the guilty should be booked for murder. We also demand the immediate resignation of the Union Minister of State for Home,” he said. Modi government has become thirsty for the blood of farmers.” From Karnal to Lakhimpur Kheri, their regime has unleashed a reign of terror, he claimed. He slammed the centre over the alleged arrest of party leaders, claiming that the ruling BJP was eroding the country’s democratic identity through such acts.
When Section 144 (of CrPC) is in force in Lakhimpur, then why landing at Lucknow is not being allowed? he asked. “Have the civil rights been abolished in Uttar Pradesh? Is a separate visa is required for going to UP? Why are people being stopped? It is very unfortunate as it is a question of civil rights. Can’t people go to express their condolences and take stock of the incident? If they (BJP government) are stopping, then what is their mindset?” Bhalla further asked. The way farmers were mowed down (in Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday, shows UP BJP government’s mentality that those who will raise voices against them will be crushed and trampled, he claimed. “This mentality is very dangerous and the whole country is agitated and everyone wants to go to Lakhimpur,” he said adding that the incident has “exposed the real face of the BJP”.They were elected to power over the issue of law and order and now the entire country is watching how the law and order were violated there. There is nothing left in control of Yogi Adityanath, and his own people are doing such things, added Bhalla. Stating that the unlawful detention of opposition leaders is against democratic values, Bhalla condemned the move to stop Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others from going to meet the families of farmers killed in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh.. “Only a dictator government can do this. Does the ruling BJP in UP want to end democracy? In this way, the violation of civil rights is also against the spirit of the Constitution,” he said.
“Priyanka ji was going to stand with the families who lost their loved ones in yesterday’s violence. It is totally unfair to stop them for discharging duty,” he said. He added that the BJP government’s inhuman face has come to the fore. It is undemocratic to ignore the demands of the farmers, stalling the farmers movement, oppressing them and then not allowing any opposition party to stand with them, he said.The way farmers are being crushed, there are no words for it. Farmers have been raising their voice for days, and the government is not ready to listen. What happened shows the government wants to crush and destroy the farmers. This is the country of farmers, not BJP’s property. “When force has to be used, it means the government has lost the moral grounds,” Bhalla said.
Speaking on the occasion, Congress Refugee Cell Chairman Amrit Bali said the central government should take a call on the withdrawal of the three farm laws.“The laws framed by the government are not in the interest of the farmers. Their issues need to be addressed on priority by the government,” he said. He accused the Centre of bulldozing three new farm laws without consulting states and asserted that agriculture cannot be run “sitting in Delhi” as it involves farmers toiling in distant villages. He said the government needs to take the protests seriously and it was “unfair” on the part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to blame opposition parties for the agitation by farmers. He said farmers do not want any political party to be associated with their agitation, but the government has been continuously blaming opposition parties for the protests. They don’t want political parties or opposition parties to associate with their agitation, but for no reason, the prime minister and others are blaming political parties and that is unfair,” he said.
Bali claimed that Centre has passed farm bills on the basis of their own strength in Parliament and that’s why all the problems started.”In politics and democracy, dialogue should take place,” he said. Stressing that dialogue should have happened earlier, he said the government should have talked earlier to resolve farmers’ reservations about these laws.”How can a government say in a democracy that it won’t listen or it won’t change its line? In a way, the government bulldozed these three bills. If the Centre had consulted state governments and taken them in confidence, then such a situation wouldn’t have arisen,” he said. Alleging that farmers are not a priority for the Modi government, he said it is not appropriate to suggest that only farmers from 2-3 states are protesting against these laws and there is a sizable number of people who are not happy. “If farmers would have been the priority of the government, this problem would not have continued for so long. Then they say there are farmers only from Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh who are protesting. Have they not contributed to the overall food security of the country?” he said.
