New Delhi, Congress on Sunday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the death of a protesting farmer a day before his rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat, noting that he did not speak about the incident during his speech nor visit the farmers family.
The attack came a day before the crucial by-election in Kairana parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh where a united Opposition is taking on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Kairana is over 50 km away from Baghpat.
“The sugarcane farmers of Uttar Pradesh are thinking that the Prime Minister, who is taking credit for UPA schemes, wades through their farms in a road show but does not pay attention to them. Unfortunately, farmers like Udayveer, who gave away their life while fighting for their rights cannot even think of this (of Prime Minister paying attention),” Congress President Rahul Gandhi said in a tweets.
Udayveer, a sugarcane farmer, died on Saturday during a protest at Baghpat’s Baraut tehsil over pending cane dues and power tariff hike.
Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil said Modi did not utter a word about the farmer’s death during his speech and “should have shown some sensitivity”.
“A farmer died due to policies of the BJP government.. Modiji should have gone to his home. He should have at least found this time,” he said.
Noting Modi had told sugarcane farmers before the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls that their arrears will be paid in 14 days, Gohil said that leave alone 14 days or months, so much time has elapsed that the farmers’ condition had worsened, while the arrears have risen from Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 12,000 crore during the BJP rule.
Referring to Modi inaugurating the 135-km Eastern Peripheral Expressway and the first phase of Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Gohil said the two projects had been conceptualised and fast-tracked during the Congress-led UPA government.
Accusing Modi of vote bank politics round-the-clock, he said there is a “moral code of conduct” in elections” but “Modi and morals cannot go together.”
Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said: “Udayveer lost his life during protest of sugarcane farmers. Modi and (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi) Adityanath, who came to power on promise of clearing dues of farmers in 14 days have forgotten that dues of Rs 12,224 crore are pending and electricity bill has been raised by Rs 1,600 per month.”
