Electoral defeat, not 'martyrdom of over 600 farmers' prompted Centre to repeal farm laws: Priyanka Gandhi

The Congress leader targetted the central government and said it could see in the surveys that the situation is not right so that they have come to apologise before polls.

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New Delhi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday (November 19, 2021) hit at the Centre and said that the decision to repeal the three farms laws was taken due to approaching assembly elections. Priyanka Gandhi also questioned the central government for being silent when farmers were called as Aandolanjeevi`, goons, terrorists and traitors.

Hours after PM Modi repealed the three controversial farm laws, the Congress leader while addressing media in Lucknow, targetted the central government and said it could see in the surveys that the situation is not right so that they have come to apologise before polls.

"Why is he doing this? Is the nation not understanding that polls are approaching & they might`ve felt that situation isn`t right. They can see in surveys that the situation is not right. So, they have come to apologise before polls," said Priyanka Gandhi.

"What did the leaders of the government not call the farmers? `Aandolanjeevi`, goons, terrorists, traitors - who called them all this? Why was the PM silent when all of this was being said? He himself uttered the word `aandolanjeevi`," she added.

..उनपर लाठियाँ बरसायीं, उन्हें गिरफ़्तार किया।

अब चुनाव में हार दिखने लगी तो आपको अचानक इस देश की सच्चाई समझ में आने लगी - कि यह देश किसानों ने बनाया है, यह देश किसानों का है, किसान ही इस देश का सच्चा रखवाला है और कोई सरकार किसानों के हित को कुचलकर इस देश को नहीं चला सकती। 2/3

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) November 19, 2021

Priyanka Gandhi also said that she is happy that the government understood that nobody is bigger than farmers in this nation.

"When farmers were being killed, batons were being used and they were being arrested -who was doing it? Your govt. Today you say that the laws will be repealed. How are we going to trust you? I am happy that the government understood that nobody is bigger than farmers in this nation," she further said.

Notably, in a major move, PM Narendra Modi today announced the repealing of the three Central farm laws. 

In his address to the nation, PM Modi said, "Today I want to tell everyone that we have decided to repeal all three farm laws."

Farmers have been protesting the Centre`s three farm laws since they were passed in 2020. The three farm laws are -- The Farmers` Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act provides for setting up a mechanism allowing the farmers to sell their farm produces outside the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs).

(With agency inputs)