Congress workers on Friday held a protest march from state Congress party office Rajiv Bhawan to Raj Bhawan in the State Capital amid the ongoing farmers protest at the borders of Delhi. The Congress party observed ‘Kisan Adhikar Diwas’ (Farmers' Rights Day) in Raipur to register a protest against the Central Government over the farmers protest. Congress workers gathered at state Congress party office, Rajiv Bhawan, where a public meeting was held.

 

 

 

 

Addressing the public meeting, Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) President Mohan Markam alleged that the Central Government has enacted the three controversial farm laws to benefit corporate houses only.

Markam termed the BJP Government at the Centre as ‘anti-farmer’. MLAs Satyanarayan Sharma, Dhanendra Sahu and other Congress leaders also addressed the public meeting. School Education Minister Dr Premsai Singh Tekam, Chhattisgarh Kisan Congress President Chandrashekhar Shukla and Congress workers in large number were present. CPCC President Mohan Markam drove a tractor and led the protest march from Rajiv Bhawan to the Raj Bhawan. Dozens of tractors participated in the protest.

 

When the Congress workers reached near Raj Bhawan, the police tried to stop them outside the gate near Raj Bhawan. Some Congress workers forcefully opened the gate near Raj Bhawan. A minor clash took place between the police and the Congress workers. During the protest march, traffic system collapsed from Shankar Nagar Chowk to Ghadi Chowk. Commuters faced a lot of problems for few hours. The traffic police opened one way road for commuters on Gaurav Path for few hours in view of the protest march. Later a delegation of CPCC led by its President Mohan Markam handed over a memorandum addressed to President of India Ram Nath Kovind through Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan. In the memorandum, the Congress party has demanded the President of India to repeal three controversial farm laws immediately. Besides, the Congress party also demanded the President of India to intervene to check hike in prices of petrol and diesel. MLAs Satyanarayan Sharma, Dhanendra Sahu, Amitesh Shukla, Arun Vora, Rajya Sabha Member Chhaya Verma, Phulodevi Netam, MLA Anita Sharma, CPCC Vice President Girish Dewangan, Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, RMC Speaker Pramod Dubey, State Congress Spokesman Vikas Tiwari and other Congress leaders were present on the occasion.

 

 

 

Terming the tractor rally conducted by the ruling Congress party as a shameless display of flouting power and treacherous political character, the Bharatiya Janata Party has alleged that carrying out demonstration in restricted area like Raj Bhawan is not only shameless demonstration of being in power but also amounts to hurting the dignity and reputation of the Governor.

 

BJP State Spokesperson and former Minister Rajesh Munat said the ruling Congress government which is not getting sensitive to the hardships being faced by farmers in Chhattisgarh and in order to hide its failure and inefficiency, it is mourning the agrarian laws that the Congress itself had promised in its manifesto in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. He said in actuality the Congress leadership is under distress and misguided while its thoughtful leadership has become isolated. Hence the ruling Congress government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is busy saving the ‘family’ and has stopped worrying about farmers’ troubles and COVID-19 pandemic in State. The BJP State Spokesperson further stated that despite repeated efforts by the CPCC and the ruling Congress government to mislead farmers by carrying out such political gimmicks, it should remain ready to bear the fruits of its deeds like creating hurdles in the paddy procurement system. Munat said that today the Congress is neither following COVID-19 guidelines nor it is following the decorum of Raj Bhawan.

Lashing out at the ruling Congress, Munat said its leaders had carried out a disgusting act of burning tractors for the sake of opposing agricultural laws and now they are taking out tractor rallies, which is ironic. Taking a dig at the Congress party, Munat said on one hand the Congress are spreading lies and hatred in the name of agricultural laws, while the Congress-ruled state of Punjab has implemented the agricultural laws and made a mockery of the ongoing agitation against the agricultural laws. This step by the Punjab government has put the Congress in Catch-22 situation. He asked the Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh to avoid becoming a puppet in the hands of Left-Wing scriptwriters.

 

Terming the demonstration against the agricultural laws by the Congress as a failed display of political frustration arising out of ideological impoverishment, the BJP State Spokesperson said that by opposing the agricultural bills, the Congress once again showed its dual political and anti-farmer character. The Congress has only done politics and neither has it ever thought of the better future of the farmers nor can it do good to the farmers. Munat while taking a sharp sarcasm at the Congress protests and said that the Congress is spreading falsehood and confusion and itself is getting victimized to its own falsehood and confusion and it is failing to understand what steps it should take towards the agricultural laws. While the Punjab government has its own views about these farm laws, the Madhya Pradesh unit of Congress is standing allegedly with the brokers on the issue of mandi tax. In Chhattisgarh, the ruling Congress is not ready to give up Mandi tax and thus exposing its anti-farmer sentiments. He further added that the ruling Congress government which has shown political malice in the matter of debt waiver and outstanding bonus payment, should clarify what is happening on the promises made by former AICC President Rahul Gandhi during the assembly elections.