New Delhi: The Congress targeted the BJP over the controversial remarks related to farmers’ protests made by party MP Kangana Ranaut and said the party distanced from her to control damage in poll-bound Haryana.
Lok Sabha MP from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi parliamentary seat Kangana Ranaut had on August 25 made some controversial remarks related to farmers’ protests held earlier in Delhi against three central farm laws saying the agitators were murderers and rapists and that their movement was instigated and supported by the US and China.
The Congress which had backed the farmers’ protests said the issue would dent the saffron party in the October 1 Haryana assembly polls. The Congress had won 5 out of 10 parliamentary seats in Haryana which had worried the BJP.
"Why does the BJP hate the farmers so much? The saffron party has always conspired against the farmers and levelled charges on them. Once again, their MP has made baseless charges on the farmers. The question is whether these cheap charges were made as part of a poll plan or did Kangana read out the script written by someone else. If not so, why were Prime Minister Modi, the Haryana chief minister and their MPs silent over the issue. They have distanced from her remarks sensing poll losses in Haryana," All India Congress Committee (AICC) functionary Randeep Surjewala told ETV Bharat.
According to former Haryana Chief Minister BS Hooda, the BJP's anti-farmer stand in the past had angered the peasants in Punjab and also in Haryana, where the community will teach a lesson to the saffron party.
"Not only the farmers, but people of the entire state are angry with the BJP government. The farmers particularly will teach them a lesson in the Assembly polls,” Hooda told ETV Bharat.
According to Surjewala, a former minister in Haryana and a sitting Rajya Sabha MP, the BJP should also clarify why its MP dragged the name of the US and China saying they were creating instability in the country.
"She alleged the US and China were creating instability in the country. If that was true what was the so-called strong Modi government doing,” he said.
Both Surjewala and Hooda said the BJP feared losing the Haryana polls which was indicated by the party’s silence over Ranaut’s remarks as well as a recent missive urging the Election Commission to defer the poll date which was colliding with a five-day holiday period.
“Actually, they are looking for alibis as they have sensed their defeat. Urging the EC to defer the poll dates shows their lack of confidence. The people of Haryana are not going out on private trips and will come out in large numbers to vote out this government which has pushed the state behind on several indicators,” said Surjewala.
“Since the BJP came to power in the state, the farmers are struggling to get a fair price for their produce. They often had to agitate for a good price for the paddy crop. Due to the negligence of the Centre and its anti-export policies, the farmers are not getting a decent price for the paddy crop. The farmers’ input cost went up due to the hike in diesel prices but they are now under debt. They have nowhere to go,” said Hooda.
The BJP distanced itself from the remarks made by Kangana. The JP Nadda-led party said that the actor has been asked not to make such remarks in the future.
The BJP in a media statement said, "The statement made by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut in the context of the farmers' movement is not the opinion of the party. The Bharatiya Janata Party expresses its disagreement with the statement made by Kangana Ranaut."
