New Delhi, Nov 29 (IANS): Even as a stalemate between protesting farmers and the Centre on their protest venue in Delhi continued, the opposition Congress on Sunday attacked the government for "being drunk on power and not listening to the voice of farmers".
"The government is drunk on power... Union Agriculture Minister and Home Minister say there will not be any talks with the farmers till December 3, in this harsh winter. Both Ministers do not have time for farmers until five days?" Congress Chief Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told a press conference.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji should himself talk to the delegation of farmers... Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar should publicly apologise for calling farmers terrorists and filing false cases against them," the Congress leader said.
The Congress asserted that Modi should leave aside his prejudices and talk openly about abolition of what it dubbed as three "anti-farming black laws".
"Why did the government target the rationing system, rendering labourers, workers and middlemen in mandis unemployed? When foodgrains will not be purchased at MSP, how will 86 crore people get grains through the public distribution system?" Surjewala asked.
The Congress leader alleged that the Modi government had told another lie to the farmers by telling them that they would be able to sell their crops in other states as well. "As many as 86 per cent farmers in India own less than 5 acres of land each. Out of that, 80 per cent farmers own 2 acres each. If they don't have the ability to sell outside their district, how will they sell their produce in other states?"
Modi on Sunday asserted that he was committed to the welfare of hardworking farmers, and that the Centre's new farm laws were a step in this direction.
Refusing to accept the Centre's offer to shift to the Burari ground in north-west Delhi to hold their proposed protest against the three central farm laws, thousands of farmers continued to rally for the third consecutive day on Sunday at Delhi's three interstate border points.