Farmers will open fire on govt: MP Congress leader in video

Satna: Days after a violent farmers' agitation in Madhya Pradesh, a video surfaced today in which a state Congress leader is purportedly seen threatening that Satna district farmers led by party leader Ajay Singh will "fire bullets at the state government".

The video featuring district Congress committee (rural) chief Dilip Mishra comes close on the heels of a furore over a clip of a woman Congress MLA purportedly instigating people to set a police station ablaze.

"Farmers at this gathering have vowed that under the leadership of Opposition leader Ajay Singh, they will fire bullets at the state government. I appeal to people of the state to open fire on the government," Mishra said at Sinhpur village last evening.

The video of Mishra's speech has since gone viral on social media.

The gathering was held to pay tribute to the five farmers who were killed in the police firing in Mandsaur on June 6.

When contacted, Superintendent of Police Mithilesh Shukla ordered an inquiry into the matter and said action would be taken soon.

District Collector Naresh Pal said the administration has taken cognisance of it.

However, Mishra said his comments were twisted and there was nothing inflammatory in his speech.

Ajay Singh also denied that Mishra had said anything provocative.

In another video that rocketed around the Internet last week, Congress MLA Shakuntala Khatik, who represents Karera Assembly segment, was seen staging a protest at Karera police station in Shivpuri district against the killing of farmers in Mandsaur.

She was leading a protest march, during which an effigy of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was burnt. The police poured water on the effigy in a bid douse the flames, in which the woman legislator got partially drenched.

This irked Khatik, who later sat on a protest at the police station along with her supporters and the video was shot during the sit-in.

The video showed the MLA purportedly asking her supporters to set the police station on fire.

However, Congress leader Sachin Pilot had said his party will never instigate violence for political benefits.

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain yesterday said several videos have emerged in which Congress leaders are seen inciting agitators to torch vehicles and ransack police stations in Madhya Pradesh.