Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja on Sunday said that more than 200 farmers have lost their lives during the ongoing farmers’ agitation against the three farm laws but it is sad to see that the Prime Minister has not uttered a word expressing sympathy for the departed souls.

“The farmers’ movement has been going on for three months now but the Prime Minister has been using sarcastic words for the agitating farmers,” said Kumari Selja while addressing a Kisan Sammelan in Kalanwali, Sirsa.

The Congress leader also lashed out at Haryana Agriculture Minister JP Dalal for his statement on the deaths of farmers.

Lashing out at Dalal, she said, “Everyone is sad about those who die. If you cannot express sympathy, at least do not say anything wrong about them.”

Commenting on deaths of agitating farmers, Agriculture Minister JP Dalal had a day before said, “Would not they have died if they were at home? Out of 1-2 lakh people, don’t 200 people die in 6 months? Someone is dying of a heart attack and someone after falling ill. I express my sympathies towards them.”

However, the Minister on Sunday apologised for the statement and maintained that his words were “misinterpreted”. “If anyone is hurt by my statements, then, I apologise. My statement has been misinterpreted. I am committed to the welfare of farmers,” he said.

Several Punjab and Haryana farmers, participating in farmers' agitation against the Centre's three farm laws at various Delhi border points, have died of different reasons including cardiac arrest.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had also attacked JP Dalal over his remarks on farmers’ protest deaths. Surjewala said an “insensitive” person can only make such a statement. “These words can only be used by an insensitive man for agitating ‘annadatas’,” Surjewala had said in a tweet.