Farm laws: Punjab government has compensated kin of 403 deceased farmers, so why cannot the PM: Rahul Gandhi

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 3

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday called the government “inhuman, insensitive and arrogant” for stating in Parliament that it had no record of farmers who died during the yearlong farm agitation and sought immediate compensation for the families of the 700 deceased.

Noting that the details of deceased farmers were in the public domain and could be accessed by the PM, Rahul said the Congress-ruled Punjab government had provided Rs five lakh each to the kin of 403 deceased farmers and assured jobs to the family members of 152 with plans to expand the job coverage.

 “Frankly it is not our mistake that caused the death of 700 farmers. It is the PM’s mistake. The prime minister apologised. He said he made a mistake and because of that mistake, 700 farmers died. Why doesn’t the PM have the decency and the dignity to help their families?” Gandhi asked in a press conference adding that he would place the details of 700 deceased farmers on the table of Lok Sabha on Monday.

Gandhi questioned the government for treating the deceased farmers and earlier people who died of Covid as nonexistent and said, “This is not the way a prime minister should behave. This is an unpleasant, immoral, and cowardly way to behave.”

Gandhi expressed surprise that the government doesn’t want to accept people have died.

“You did the same during Covid. You didn’t report deaths as Covid deaths. In Gujarat, you said some 10,000 people died of Covid. We sent our workers to every home and found there were lakhs who died,” said the former Congress chief.

He said the arrogance of power was keeping the government from heeding to the suffering families of farmers.

“You are so arrogant, you think you are in power and don’t need to listen to anyone. PM is thinking only about his image…The Punjab government is not responsible for the deaths of farmers but we have given support to their families but that’s not enough. The government should also compensate,” Gandhi added.

He was speaking with reference to an answer by the agriculture ministry in Parliament.

When asked whether the government planned to compensate the families of deceased farmers, the ministry said, “No record is available on the matter so the question does not arise.”

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