DM Monitoring
Jaipur: The Congress organised a march in all districts of Rajasthan to mark its protest against the farm laws enacted by the Centre and the rising fuel prices.
In Jaipur, the protest was led by transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas and Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi. The Congress leaders were seen riding on tractors, camels and elephants besides participating in a “Paidal March” as party workers and protestors raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra could not participate in the march. While Gehlot could not come due to a meeting with the governing council of NITI Aayog, Dotasra skipped the march owing to health issues.
“After the death of several farmers during the farmers’ agitation and Supreme Court staying the three farm laws, the Centre wants to impose the laws on farmers. The government has also stabbed in the back of common people by increasing petrol, diesel and LPG cylinder prices,” Khachariyawas told reporters.
On the other hand, BJP state president Satish Poonia asked the chief minister to fulfil his promise of waiving farm loans instead of taking up a protest march. “Instead of doing protest march in the name of farmers, the CM should fulfil the promise of waiving off farm loans completely. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Chief Minister had made the promise to the farmers during election rallies in the state,” Poonia said in a tweet.
Earlier on Friday, in a statement, the SKM claimed that trains were stopped from 12 noon to 4 pm at hundreds of locations across the country on Thursday. The railways, however, said there was negligible or minimal impact on train services due to the “rail roko” protest of the farmers. “It was a peaceful and successful event…. The citizens of India have opposed the attitude of the Centre towards the farmers’ movement in large numbers,” the SKM said.
“Anger among the farmers is intensifying and the Centre will have to repeal the laws,” it stated. The farmers’ body said at various places, its leaders appealed to people on Thursday to come to Delhi’s borders to strengthen the movement against the three contentious laws.
