Congress leader Digvijaya Singh attacks BJP, PM Modi over farmers' protests

Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Thursday attacked the BJP-led Centre for allegedly not fulfilling its promises to farmers, including providing a legal guarantee for MSP, and for using force to stop protesting farmers from marching to Delhi to put forth their demands.

Addressing a press conference here, Singh also criticised the Narendra Modi government for nominating Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to hold talks with the protesting farmer leaders, asking what he had to do with farmers and agriculture.

Two years ago, when the country's farmers staged a protest on the outskirts of Delhi, the prime minister promised to consider legal guarantee for MSP and to fulfil their other demands, he recalled.

"Two years have passed but nothing has happened. The same farmers, in order to remind Modi of his promise, decided to march towards the national capital. But they are being prevented and barred from moving towards the national capital," Singh said.

"Nails have been inserted on roads, and other hurdles have been created on the national highway to prevent the movement of farmers. Teargas shells are being lobbed using drones, and rubber bullets are being fired. We strongly condemn it and we want a legal guarantee on MSP to be given," he asserted.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has already announced that the farmers' key demand for a law guaranteeing minimum support price (MSP) for various crops will be fulfilled once the INDIA bloc comes to power at the Centre, he said.

Singh also welcomed the Supreme Court verdict striking down the electoral bonds scheme. "We welcome that. Because the electoral bonds are heavily loaded in favour of the BJP," he said.

Speaking about the INDIA grouping, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said that the AICC has set up a committee under Mukul Wasnik, who is discussing with different regional groups regarding forging alliances with other parties for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

"I think in 90 per cent of the seats, the INDIA alliance will have a one-on-one fight with the BJP. In Punjab, it is the wish of both the regional leadership of the AAP and the Congress to fight separately. In Bengal, the discussions are on. In Delhi, the AAP and Congress will come to some understanding," Singh added.

He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over 'Modi's Guarantees", describing them as only 'jumla' (false promises).

"Modi ji talks of Modi Guarantee. If the Modi Guarantee is reviewed from 2014 till date, they promised to bring back black money but failed to do so. They promised to give Rs 15 lakh (to every citizen), but no one got it, and they also promised MSP to farmers," Singh explained.