NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to test the patience of farmers and said he should immediately repeal the black farm laws after apologising to them.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that farmers in Bihar are in trouble without the MSP system and APMC Act and now the entire country has been "pushed into this well".
He also supported the women farmers who have joined the farmers' agitation on Delhi's borders.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said "The interests of capitalists cannot be bigger than crores of farmers of the country. Follow Rajdharma."
"Modi ji, Why are you playing with the country's food providers and public sentiment? Don't test their patience."
"Pick up the pen and apologize to the food providers and repeal the black farm laws immediately," Surjewala said on Twitter after farmers gave a call for Bharat Bandh on December 8.
Rahul Gandhi also tweeted, "The power and determination of women farmers in the movement is also an aspect of India's feminism."
The Congress has been demanding a repeal of the three farm laws alleging they are against the interests of farmers and will help "crony capitalists".
The government has rejected the criticism, saying the laws will remove the middlemen and unshackle the farmers who will be able to get a better price for their produce.
Accusing the Yogi Adityanath government of harassing those who expressed solidarity with the farmers agitating against the Centre's "black farm laws", the Congress on Saturday alleged cases has been lodged against its leaders and workers for staging a protest here in September.
It said that on September 28, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu staged a protest at the Parivartan Chowk in Lucknow after which party leaders were taken to Eco Garden, from where all were released the same evening on personal sureties.
"The Yogi Adityanath government has lodged cases against 13 Congress leaders, including UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu, and 300 unnamed workers for holding a protest in support of farmers in Lucknow on September 28," the party's media convenor, Lalan Kumar, who has also been named in the FIR, said.
This is another example of the dictatorial attitude of the state government, which is attacking the freedom of expression of the people, Kumar said, adding that he and others came to know of the FIR only on Saturday.
He also alleged that it has been filed in "back date".
This move of the state government has agitated party workers and they are in no mood to tolerate this, Kumar said.
A police spokesperson said action will be taken against anybody found breaking the law.