Stop monologue, start dialogue on farmers’ protests: Opp attack Indian Govt in Rajya Sabha

From Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) Manoj Kumar Jha to TMC MP Derek O’Brien, members of the opposition attacked the Center over its handling of the farmers protest. The opposition reiterated that the government has lost the patience to listen and any criticism is painted as anti-national.

Opening the second day of discussion on a motion thanking the President for his address to the joint sitting of Parliament at the start of the Budget session, Manoj Kumar said, “”With folded hands, I request you to please understand the pain of farmers. In harsh winter you stopped water supply and toilet facilities, dug trenches, put barbed wires, and installed spikes,”
“Such aggressive approach wasn’t even heard of towards the neighbouring nations who came inside (the Indian territory).”

Manoj Kumar Jha said critics and agitating farmers have been painted as ‘Khalistani’, ‘Naxals’ and Pakistani agents and its citizens pitted against each other just like the agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

“You have lost the patience of hearing, you only dictate,” he said. “The governments are formed to build bridges but you have built walls.”

Hitting out at the Centre, TMC MP Derek O’Brien said in Rajya Sabha, “Today we very touchy about remarks coming from outside on farmer’s agitation. But who said this ‘Abki baar Trump sarkar’. And now we are talking about ‘internal interference’.”

Earlier as he rose to participate in the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, the TMC MP said, “Such are times…we should be thankful for small freedoms. Freedoms like being allowed to speak without the microphones being muted, or the television feeds censored or MPs not being escorted out by marshals.”