'Modi riding high on ego': Priyanka Gandhi compares PM with atrocious legendary kings

LUCKNOW: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday attacked PM Narendra Modi over the farm laws and compared him with atrocious and power-drunk kings of yore, the reference of whom found in legends and folklores. 

She claimed that after becoming PM twice, Modi was riding high on his ego and he was not listening to lakhs of farmers demanding the repeal of three ‘draconian’ farm laws.

“Like the atrocious kings of legends, the PM has cut himself off from people. He is not understanding that those who have given him power should get a patient hearing from him,” said Priyanka, while addressing her third Kisan panchayat at Baghra in Muzaffarnagar district of western UP.

Prior to this, she had addressed Kisan Panchayats in Saharanpur on February 10 followed by the one in Bijnor on February 15 demanding the Centre to withdraw the three farm laws.

In Muzaffarnagar, the Congress leader lamented that instead of talking to distraught farmers, who had been protesting on Delhi borders for the last 90 days, PM Modi had insulted them by calling them terrorists, Khalistani, ‘parjivi’ (parasites) and ‘andolanjivi’ ( thriving on protest), in Parliament.

She accusing the PM of insulting the ‘jawans’ safeguarding the borders of the country. “The jawans, protecting our borders, are the sons of these farmers. The PM has little regard for them also. He has insulted the jawans by not withdrawing the farm laws,” she maintained.

Priyanka said the PM was not able to wipe the tears of the farmers and redress their grievances. “This year, while the farmers are suffering and in trouble, the PM’s billionaire friends have earned crores. Actually, PM’s politics is for himself and his corporate friends rather than the people,” she said.

She also raised the issue of cane prices and pending dues. The Congress leader reiterated that Modiji could purchase two planes worth Rs 16,000 crore for his foreign tourneys, but he could not get the cane dues to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore pending across the country cleared. Priyanka also took a jibe on the government over its priorities while referring to the beautification of Delhi and the upcoming new Parliament building at a cost o Rs 20,000 crore while the poor were suffering.

Claiming that new farm laws would be an end to the government mandi system, MSP system, and farmers’ rights, Priyanka Gandhi further said that this government had sold out the country to a few corporate houses, it would sell the land of poor farmers to them (corporate houses) as well.

Priyanka questioned the government over rising fuel and power tariffs. “This government has earned Rs 21,50,000 crore since 2014 by levying taxes on diesel and petrol, but they do not have the money to resolve the issues plaguing the farmers,” she averred.