While the agitating farmer unions have decided to vacate the borders in Delhi it has been occupying for more than a year and return home, Congress leader and the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has asserted on Friday that the protest is not over yet. “This bus has just stopped”.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel claims that the farmers ‘movement is not over yet, it has just stopped … Bhupesh Baghel said that the farmers’ protest is not over but it continues. https://t.co/5esmvdQxyR
— The Google (@thegoogle93) December 11, 2021
“Farmers have not withdrawn their agitation but put it on hold. The agitation has not ended. Farmers will look into the government’s proposals first,” said the Congress leader when asked about the farmer’s protest.
It may be noted that the Chhattisgarh CM’s remark has come at a time when farmer organisations have decided to end the protest after the union government agreed to all their demands. After the three farm reform laws were withdrawn, the Modi government further gave in to the protests and agreed to consider the demand for a law on Minimum Support Price (MSP), after which the Samyukt Kisan Morcha decided to call off the protest and decided to return home on 11 December.
‘Farmers are welcome in Chhattisgarh, will support their protest’: CM Bhupesh Baghel
Interestingly, like the majority of his party colleagues, Bhupesh Baghel had also, from the very start, thrown his support behind the farmer’s agitation in order to mount an attack on the Modi government. In fact, in September he went on to assert that the Chhattisgarh government will provide all kinds of support to the farmers protesting against the Centre’s farm laws.
While speaking to the media, Bhupesh Baghel had said, “Rahul Gandhi started farmers’ movement in Delhi. Priyanka Gandhi has organised Kisan Mahapanchayats in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Farmers are protesting across the nation. They are welcome in Chhattisgarh and if they ask for support, we will provide the same.”
Rahul Gandhi started farmers’ movement in Delhi. Priyanka Gandhi has organised Kisan Mahapanchayats in UP, Rajasthan. Farmers are protesting across the nation. They are welcome in Chhattisgarh and if they ask for support, we’ll provide the same: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel pic.twitter.com/AEzkjLGw8T
— ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2021
Congress and its double standards
Now, when the central government is trying to end this year-long impasse by agreeing to all the demands of the ‘farmers’, Bhupesh Baghal, like his bosses and colleagues, is aiming to keep the flame burning. After all, the Congress party, from the very start, has been opposing the farm laws.
Throughout the party leaders have shared some blatant and outright lies against the new farm laws to berate the BJP government at the centre. They have been telling the world that the farm laws are “black laws” or “kaale kanoon,” and the government must take them back.
In fact, the Gandhi scion has gone to extreme lengths to instigate the farmers against the same. On July 26, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi drove a tractor to the Parliament to protest against the new farm laws. Gandhi had posted his photograph in which he was driving the tractor. He wrote, “If you force to sell the land then the tractor will run in Parliament. We will grow the crops of truth! Withdraw the anti-agriculture laws.”
However, all along its quest to berate the Modi government, the Congress party’s hypocrisy and double standards over the farm laws have been laid exposed. OpIndia has reported extensively how the Congress manifesto from 2019 General Assembly elections reveals a diametrically opposite stand of the party. The Congress manifesto for 2019 had promised the exact same reforms that the party chose to protest against.
