NEW DELHI: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the repeal of the farm laws without a debate in Parliament on issues such as the demand for MSP and the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, alleging that he was "not a sympathiser of farmers" but seeker of votes.
Her attack on the prime minister came after Parliament passed the bill to repeal the three contentious agricultural laws at the centre of protests by farmers for over a year with the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha giving their approval in quick succession amid an uproar on the first day of the Winter session without any discussion.
"700 farmers were martyred in the farmers' movement, their martyrdom was not spoken about in Parliament today, nor was it respected by paying tributes," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
The struggle and martyrdom of countless farmers gave us the freedom due to which we got the Constitution, the Congress general secretary said.
Parliament proceedings were conducted without discussing the farm laws, the demand for MSP and the "Lakhimpur massacre", she said.
"Narendra Modi ji, your words are hollow, you are not a sympathiser of farmers, you are a sympathiser of votes," Priyanka Gandhi alleged. Four farmers were allegedly mowed down by an SUV in Lakhimpur Kheri district, the native place of Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra, on October 3. In the ensuing violence, four people, including a journalist and two BJP workers, were also killed.