Congress protest march: Priyanka Gandhi, leaders taken into custody

Police in Delhi took Priyanka Gandhi and other Congress leaders into custody during their march to Rashtrapati Bhavan against the farm laws. Priyanka Gandhi said that the elected MPs have their right to protest and it is sinful that the government has termed the farmers as anti-nationals.

New Delhi:Police in Delhi took Priyanka Gandhi and other Congress leaders into custody during their march to Rashtrapati Bhavan against the farm laws. They were heading to submit a memorandum consisting of two crore signatures seeking President's intervention in the issue.

"Any dissenting voice against this government is classified as having elements of terror. We are undertaking this march to voice our support for the farmers," the Congress leader said while talking to media.

"We are living in a democracy and they are elected MPs. They have the right to meet the President and they should be allowed. What is the problem with that? Government is not ready to listen to voices of lakhs of farmers camping at borders," she added.

"It is a sin to use the kind of names they (BJP leaders & supporters) used for farmers. If the government is calling them anti-nationals, then the government sins," she added.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury met President Ram Nath Kovind and demanded the withdrawal of the three farm laws.

Rahul Gandhi submitting memorandum to the President

"We told the President that the laws are anti-farmer and that farmers and labourers will suffer due to them. The government said these laws are in favour of the farmers, but the country is seeing that farmers are against these laws," Rahul Gandhi said.

"The farmers would not return till these laws are taken back. The government should convene a joint session of Parliament and repeal these laws," he told reporters after meeting the president.

He said every opposition party is standing with the farmers. "Three of us went to the President, but took the voice of farmers to the President, by taking 2 crore signatures of farmers," he said, adding that "the farmers are in pain and are also dying, the Prime Minister will have to listen to them."

If the Prime Minister does not take these laws back, the country will suffer, he claimed."Anyone trying to take power from Modi will be dubbed as anti-national," he alleged.

Gandhi further alleged that only three-four people are running the system and said the party is fighting this."It is an assault on the idea of India. The government is stopping our MPs from moving out of our office. There is no democracy in India, it is only in imagination, not in reality," he charged.

Rahul Gandhi led Congress MPs' protest march began from Congress Headquarters in New Delhi amid massive security. However, Delhi police did not grant permission to Congress party's protest march and section 144 has been imposed in Delhi. Congress MPs including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi assembled at All India Congress Committee (AICC).

Farmers are protesting at the borders of Delhi since November 26 against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The Central Government on Sunday invited farmer leaders for a fresh round of talks amid attempts to end the agitation. The government has held several rounds of talks with the farmers so far.

On December 8, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had held a meeting with the 13 representatives of farm unions. However, a day later, farmer leaders rejected a proposal sent by the Centre.

(ANI)