Statements by BJP leaders on farmers’ protest ‘most unfortunate’, says Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday slammed remarks made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on farmers’ protest, calling it “most unfortunate and condemnable”. Taking to Twitter, the senior Congress leader also urged the Centre to find mutual ground and address the issues raised by the protesting farmers.

“The statements issued by BJP leaders decrying farmers’ protest are most unfortunate and condemnable. The government must find an amicable solution and address the grievances of farmers sympathetically instead of blaming gangs, anti-national elements for these protests,” Gehlot tweeted.

The Congress leader’s comment comes amid ongoing protests being carried out by farmers in and around the borders of Delhi against the three farm laws that were implemented by the Centre in September.

The chief minister also slammed the government for ignoring the concerns raised by the farmers. Gehlot also demanded that the farm laws be taken back. “Farmers are protesting in a peaceful manner. Their protest is for their most genuine concerns, which the government is ignoring. The farm laws that are not in the interest of the farming community must be taken back,” Gehlot said.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of protesting farmers from Rajasthan blocked the Delhi-Jaipur national highway in Alwar district after they were stopped by police from marching towards the national capital. While one-way traffic moving from Delhi to Jaipur is open, the Jaipur-Delhi traffic is blocked due to the agitation, according to PTI.

As the protest against the farm laws intensifies, thousands of farmers have gathered around and are camping at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The farmers have expressed strong apprehension towards Centre’s new agriculture laws, saying that it will take away the safety cushion of MSP and mandi system due to which they will have to be at the mercy of corporate leaders.

However, the government has maintained its stand that the agriculture laws will bring major reforms in the farming sector that will help eliminate the middlemen from the equation, allowing the farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.