Lakhimpur Kheri incident: Why is there so much hatred against farmers, Kejriwal asks PM

New Delhi, October 6

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday lashed out at the Centre over the death of farmers during violence in Lakhimpur Kheri and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure justice for the families of the victims.

The AAP leader also demanded that the accused in the case be arrested and that Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra, whose son has been named as accused in the incident, be sacked.

Addressing a virtual press conference, he alleged that the “entire system” is trying to protect the killers of the farmers and asked the prime minister why nobody has been arrested so far in connection with the case.

“For the last one year, farmers have been sitting on a dharna. More than 600 farmers have died so far. And then farmers are crushed and killed by mowing them down under wheels. Why is there so much hatred against the farmers,” he questioned the prime minister.

The chief minister also asked Modi why Mishra has not yet been dismissed as Union minister of state for home affairs.

“Every citizen of this country is today demanding justice for the farmers. The decision is in your hands,” Kejriwal said appealing to the prime minister to intervene in the matter and also visit family members of the accused.

The entire nation wants that those accused of killing farmers be immediately arrested and Mishra be sacked from his ministerial post, he said.

Kejriwal attacked the Uttar Pradesh government for allegedly not allowing opposition party leaders to meet the family members of the victims.

“Pradhan mantri (prime minister) ji, on the one hand, the government is celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Mahotsav (festival of freedom)’ and on the other hand, opposition leaders are being arrested on their way to Lakhimpur. What type of freedom is this? The British used to take such actions,” he said.

After initially denying permission to the leaders of political parties to reach Lakhimpur Kheri, meanwhile, the UP government allowed them to visit the district.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who was under detention at Biswan in Sitapur since the early hours of Monday, travelled to Lakhimpur Kheri and met the family members of the farmers killed in the violence. Other AAP leaders, including Raghav Chadda and Harpal Singh, joined Singh there.

During the visit of the AAP delegation, Kejriwal spoke to a family member of one of the farmers, who was killed in violence, over phone, and expressed his condolences and solidarity.

“The entire nation is standing by you. All of us together will ensure that your family gets justice. You need not feel alone,” the Delhi chief minister said while speaking to a relative of the farmer killed in the violence.

Four of the eight dead in Sunday’s violence in Lakhimpur Kheri were farmers, allegedly knocked down by vehicles driven by BJP workers travelling to welcome Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to an event in the area.

The others, including BJP workers and their driver, were allegedly pulled out of the vehicles and lynched by the protesters.

The Uttar Pradesh Police has lodged a case against Mishra’s son, Ashish, but no arrest has been made so far. — PTI

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