The Congress on Saturday launched a ‘Speak up for farmers’ campaign on social media protesting the farm Bills, with former party chief Rahul Gandhi urging people to raise their voice against what he described was the Narendra Modi Government’s “exploitation” of farmers.
The party also attacked the Centre over the controversial labour Bills passed by the Parliament. It asked the other Opposition parties to join the protest on the new labour laws just like they extended their united protest against the farm bills that has led to a countrywide agitation.
“Let us raise our voices together against the atrocities and exploitation of farmers by the Modi Government,” Rahul said in his message.
The three farm Bills and the labour code laws were passed by both houses of Parliament during the Monsoon session and are awaiting presidential assent.
Rahul , who was abroad for his mother and party chief Sonia Gandhi’s treatment when the bills were passed, said these legislations will “enslave” farmers and minimum support price (MSP) will be “snatched away”.
Rahul extended party’s full support to the ongoing farmers’ agitation across the country, particularly in Punjab and Haryana, where it entered its second day with sporadic incidents of violence being reported.
Rahul even went to the extent of claiming that these legislations will result in an East India company-like culture.
The Congress, on its official Twitter handle, alleged that the agriculture bills passed by the government in a “highly undemocratic manner are nothing but an attack on our farmers and an attempt to transform agriculture into another revenue stream for their crony capitalist friends”.
Describing the three labour codes passed by Parliament as “anti-labour”, Congress said the farms bill passed has already led to country wide agitation by farmers and this new labour law will bring another set of restlessness to the workers class who are the propeller of the country growth.
“They have weakened trade unions and finished the security and safety for the workers,” senior Congress leader and former minister of labour and employment Mallikarjun Kharge said at AICC Press conference. He was joined by party spokesman Pawan Khera and INTUC General Secretary G Sanjeev Reddy.
Attacking the Government over the Bills, Kharge said the government’s claim that the laws will increase ease of doing business is false.
“States’ powers have been usurped by the central government with these laws. These codes are anti-worker, anti-labourer and it is important to agitate against them,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.
“All parties must oppose these laws. The Modi government only listens to corporates and after these laws it will not listen to trade unions,” he said.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera alleged this government is “betraying the interests” of different sections one after another. As the issue of injustice to farmers was ongoing, this government betrayed workers, just like farmers,” he said.
Reddy alleged that there is no provision for safety and security of workers in these bills.
“We will protest and struggle against these unjust, anti-labour and anti-trade union laws,” he said.