In New Year greetings, Rahul Gandhi takes a veiled dig at Centre over farm laws

Taking a veiled dig at the Centre for not repealing the three farm laws, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in this New Year’s message on Friday his heart was with the farmers who were fighting “unjust forces with dignity and honour”. “As the New Year begins, we remember those who we lost and thank all those who protect and sacrifice for us. My heart is with the farmers and labourers fighting unjust forces with dignity and honour. Happy New Year to all,” he tweeted.

The Congress leader has spoken up on several occasions in support of the farmers protesting against the three farm laws passed by the Centre in September last year. On December 24, after meeting with President Ram Nath Kovind along with other party members to discuss demands made by the farmers, Rahul Gandhi said, ”India is now an imaginary democracy”.

On December 27 too, he targeted the Centre over the protests, saying that the farmers should keep walking and not be scared of the ‘bluster of the government’. He used a modified version of Dwarkaprasad Maheshwari’s popular poem “Veer Tum Badhe Chalo” to make the point. “Keep walking O brave one, patiently you move ahead. Doesn’t matter if there is a water cannon shower or bluster/bravado, you don’t fear, O fearless one. You remain firm, and walk on. O ‘annadata’, you keep walking,” he said in a tweet in Hindi. 

Thousands of farmers have been protesting for over a month against the new farm laws. Their demand that the three farm laws be completely repealed has not been accepted by the government. Even after several rounds of talks between the two parties, the government has only suggested amending the laws. The farmers have, however, said they will accept nothing less than complete repealing of these laws.

Another round of meetings between the government and representatives of the farmers is scheduled to take place on January 4.