Congress takes out tractor rally in solidarity with protesting farmers

RANCHI: The state Congress on Sunday took out a tractor rally in solidarity with farmers protesting across the nation against the centre government’s newly enacted farm laws.

The rally started from KKargil chowk in Godda around 9am and ended at Rohini in Deoghar around 6pm. More than 2,000 tractors joined the rally via Poreyahat, Mohanpur, covering a distance of about 85km.

Congress leader and agriculture minister in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcah (JMM)-led coalition government, Badal Patralekh, and Poreyahat MLA Pradeep Yadav were on the forefront of the rally from Godda.

Party’s state president and state finance minister Rameshwar Oraon, state working president Irfan Ansari, legislator Dipika Pandey Singh, KN Jha, Mani Shankar and others joined in Mohanpur.

The Congress leaders were of the view that the Centre has thrusted upon the new farm laws without discussing with the states. They said the new agriculture laws were against the farmers’ interests and demanded that they should be repealed.

Addressing the media at Mohanpur, Oraon said the Congress had sided with farmers in the Gandhian era and would continue to remain by their side, while highlighting Champaran rally led Mahatma Gandhi.

Oraon said the Centre did not honour the merit of the concurrent list while framing the three new farm laws.

The Congress was opposed to the laws and would continue the stir till the laws are repealed, he said.

The planning and finance minister also hinted that the state government might introduce fresh bills in the Jharkhand assembly during the upcoming budget session aimed at replacing the new farm laws framed by the Centre.

On the issue of the recnet violence that broke out on January 26 at Red Fort in the national the by capital, the state minister allged that it was part of the ruling BJP’s plan. The entire nation has witnessed it, he said.

Meanwhile Congress lawmaker Pradeep Yadav said the farm laws were unacceptable to the farmers. The BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was harassing farmers and protecting interest of few corporate houses after winning the 2019 general elections, he charged, adding that the new farm laws were aimed at favouring business houses taking interest in agriculture at the cost of farmers. Badal Patralekh echoed in a similar opinion and demanded a high-level judicial probe into the Republic Day incident in New Delhi.