Kharge slams Modi govt on farm laws, hails Punjab farmers for 'blocking' it

Jalandhar, Feb 11: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday tore into the Narendra Modi government for its "bungled" handling of three farm laws that were apparently brought by the Centre to bring a "turnaround" in the rural economy.

Addressing a public gathering in Punjab, the Congress chief claimed that the farm laws were not a "game-changer" scheme as touted by the Central government but in reality "regressive and short-sighted schemes that would further push the farming community into poverty".

He congratulated Punjab farmers for launching a mass protest and putting up a brave face despite the Centre's insistence and assurance, eventually leading to its suspension.

“Your agitation was successful and it helped thousands of farmers from getting into the trap of corporate giants, whose motive was to milk money you’re your agriculture produce," Kharge told the gathering.

He accused the Centre of imposing Rs 25,000 tax per hectare on farmers, saying that "for the first time after Independence, such laws were thrust upon the public".

"This government turned PM Fasal Bima Yojana into a Private Insurance Company Yojana. Insurance firms have made a whopping Rs 40,000 crore money, from 2016 to 2022," he said.

He claimed that the Prime Minister's major focus of governance is to make his "corporate friends more richer and leave the downtrodden and marginalized citizens in penury".

Further slamming the Centre on issues like unemployment, Kharge said, "More than 30 lakh government jobs are vacant. Out of these, 15 lakh jobs could have been given to the Dalits and extremely backward classes but the government keeps a blind eye towards them".

The Congress chief also expressed strong displeasure over BJP's repeated criticism of Rahul Gandhi.

"BJP leaders wake up in the morning and the first thing they do is to train guns at Rahul Gandhi and Congress. Rahul is leading a Padyatra across the country and lending the destitute and poor a voice but BJP doesn't bother about it," he said.

He said that Rahul Gandhi "never enjoyed the power in Congress-led UPA governments and remained committed to the welfare of common people".

Kharge was on a day-long visit to Punjab's Samrala to address the state's first convention of party workers, organized by the state Congress under the leadership of state unit chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.