Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has sought to redraw the limits for his party when it comes to attacking the Narendra Modi government over the contentious farm laws—from taking a nuanced position and making sure to appear to be in support of the agitating farmers while steering clear of the frontlines of the stir to taking a strident stand on the issue.
While Gandhi had led a tractor rally against the farm laws in Punjab and Haryana, as the farmers dug their heels in at the borders of the national capital, the Congress chose to express support to the farmers' agitation from the sidelines. There was an apprehension that the BJP would get a chance to dub the protests as being politically motivated.
However, Gandhi, through his press conference at the AICC headquarters on Tuesday, marked a significant shift in the party's strategy by launching an aggressive, no holds barred attack on the ruling dispensation, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The former party chief upped the ante on the farm laws, connecting the contentious legislations with a theme that he has often talked about – that the prime minister is allegedly indulging in crony capitalism by favouring a select few industrialists. Gandhi said farming was the last bastion protected from monopolizsation by businessmen, and the three laws are designed to allow three or four industrial houses to own the entire agricultural system.
“The entire country is watching this ridiculous show. It is tragic because the country is not able to understand the depth of the problem. The result of this is going to be that three or four people are going to own India, own the entire agricultural system. The farmers will not get the value they deserve and the mandis will be destroyed. Three or four people will store millions of tonnes of foodgrains. The middle class will be paying the price that you have never imagined,” Gandhi said at the press conference.
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His remarks were in keeping with his efforts to portray the Modi government as 'suit boot ki sarkar' or a government that cares for the interests of the rich businessmen rather than the ordinary citizens.
Seeking to emerge as the prime political voice speaking for the farmers, Gandhi said, “Why are the farmers of Punjab and Haryana agitating? Who are they? They are patriots who are protecting the livelihood of 60 per cent of the people of this country. They are fighting for us, they are fighting to prevent the country from falling into the hands of three or four people.”
Responding to BJP's barbs against him with regard to the alleged change in the stance of the Congress on the issue of farm reforms, he said, “The farmers of the country know what Rahul Gandhi has been doing. I have a character. I am not scared of Narendra Modi or anyone. They cannot touch me because I am a clean person. They can shoot me, yes, but they cannot touch me. I am a patriot and I will continue to protect the country.”
When asked how the Congress would put pressure on the government to repel the laws, he said, “We are already exerting pressure. This press conference is a means of exerting pressure.”
At the beginning of the press conference, Gandhi released a booklet that highlighted the alleged pitfalls of the three farm laws.
