JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Youth Congress members today tried to disrupt train traffic during a protest at the railway station here over the death of five people in an farmers' agitation in Madhya Pradesh.
The Narendra Modi government and the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, have declared "war against farmers of the country to protect the interests of big business lobbies", J-K Youth Congress chief Pranav Shagotra alleged here. "The BJP government is all out to suppress farmers who are demanding reasonable prices for their produce," he said.
Raising slogans against the Madhya Pradesh government, the Congress workers attempted to disrupt railway traffic by climbing over a train engine and sitting on tracks.
However, the police broke the protest by resorting to a "mild" lathi-charge. Shagotra claimed that at least a dozen members, including him suffered minor injuries, in the police action. "At least five farmers were killed and several injured in the police firing in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district.
The protesters were demanding better prices in the drought-ravaged region that recorded a farmer suicide every five hours in 2016-17," he said.
The Congress resorted to sloganeering against the Prime Minister, and Chouhan, accusing them of "committing atrocities" on farmers. "The BJP came to power with the promise of welfare of farmers and poor.
The farmers were demanding help from the government and in return they got bullets," Shagotra said. Instead of solving peoples' problems, the BJP governments in different states were indulging in use of "oppressive means", he said.
Farmers, students and the educated unemployed youth are on the "war path" because the BJP governments have betrayed the people, Shagotra alleged.
The protest was organised as part of the country wide 'rail roko andolan' of the Youth Congress against the Centre and the Madhya Pradesh incident.