New Delhi: Farmers are standing resolutely in the face of "cruelty", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday as he hit out at the Modi government after Haryana Police used water cannons and teargas to disperse hundreds of farmers from Punjab marching towards Delhi to protest the Centre's farm laws.
Haryana has completely sealed its borders with Punjab to prevent farmers from entering the state. Multi-level barricading has been put in many places.
Tension spiralled at the Shambhu interstate border in Haryana on Thursday as police used water cannons and teargas to disperse hundreds of farmers from Punjab who broke barricades, throwing some into the river, determined to enter the state as part of their 'Delhi Chalo' march.
Sharing a video of the incident, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "The country's farmers are standing resolutely in the face of Modi government's cruelty against them."
He also shared a verse in Hindi lauding the courage of the farmers protesting the farm laws.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Twitter, "Instead of listening to the voice of farmers protesting against the laws that snatch the minimum support price from them, the BJP government attacks them with water in this cold."
"Everything is being taken away from farmers and banks, loan waivers, airports, railway stations are being distributed to the capitalists," she alleged in her tweet in Hindi.
Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also hit out at the central and Haryana governments, asking what message does Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister M L Khattar want to give by pitting soldiers in front of farmers.