New Delhi: Following reports of the death of a protesting farmer, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed the BJP-led Centre saying “history will certainly demand an account of the farmers’ killings”.
Taking to X, Rahul wrote, “The news of death of young farmer Shubhakaran Singh in firing on Khanauri border is heartbreaking, my condolences are with his family. Last time Modi’s arrogance was accepted only after the sacrifice of more than 700 farmers, now it has again become the enemy of their lives. One day history will definitely demand an account of the ‘killing of farmers’ from the BJP hiding behind the friendly media #FarmerLivesMatter.”
खनौरी बॉर्डर पर युवा किसान शुभकरण सिंह की फायरिंग में मौत की खबर हृदयविदारक है, मेरी संवेदनाएं उनके परिवार के साथ हैं।
पिछली बार 700 से अधिक किसानों का बलिदान लेकर ही माना था मोदी का अहंकार, अब वो फिर से उनकी जान का दुश्मन बन गया है।
मित्र मीडिया के पीछे छिपी भाजपा से एक दिन… pic.twitter.com/Gq8igo757S
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 21, 2024
In a post on X, Mallikarjun Kharge expressed deep anguish over the loss of a young farmer, Shubhkaran Singh from Bathinda, who lost his life due to firing at the Khanauri border. Kharge criticised the Modi government, highlighting previous incidents where farmers lost their lives, including the recent Lakhimpur Kheri incident where the son of a minister allegedly drove a car over protesting farmers. He also referred to the Mandsaur incident in Madhya Pradesh, where farmers were killed in alleged police firing. Kharge slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s derogatory remarks towards farmers in Parliament.
जब नहीं बचेगी, किसानों की जान…
तो कैसे ख़ामोश रहेगा हिन्दुस्तान ?खनौरी बॉर्डर पर बठिंडा के युवा किसान शुभकरण सिंह की फ़ायरिंग से मृत्यु बेहद पीड़ादायक है।
मोदी सरकार ने —
पहले 750 किसानों की जान ली,
मोदी मंत्री पुत्र ने लखीमपुर में किसानों को गाड़ी से कुचला,
याद…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) February 21, 2024
Notably, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh reposted and echoed similar sentiments, accusing the government of prioritising relationships with “capitalists” over the welfare of farmers.
एक तरफ़ पूंजीपतियों के साथ यारी,
दूसरी तरफ़ किसानों के साथ ग़द्दारी!#FarmerLivesMatter https://t.co/qJCFa6u5VW
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 21, 2024
Farmers Claim Protester Lost His Life At ‘Delhi Chalo’ Agitation
Meanwhile, farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa identified the victim as Shubhkaran Singh (21), who died at Khanauri on the Sangrur-Jind border. Singh was a resident of Baloke village in Punjab’s Bathinda district, he said, as per PTI.
The farmers claimed that Haryana Police personnel fired rubber bullets besides tear gas shells. To press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farm debt waiver, the farmers are camping at the border points since February 13 along with their tractor-trolleys, mini-vans and pickup trucks.