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The ongoing political discourse in India has been punctuated by a heated exchange between Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, and Kangana Ranaut, a BJP MP. The crux of the conflict revolves around Ranaut's controversial remarks regarding the farmers' protest that took place in 2020-2021, demanding the repeal of the three farm laws. Gandhi has accused Ranaut of insulting farmers and the BJP of having an anti-farmer agenda.
In a post on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Gandhi stated that the Modi government's propaganda machinery, having failed to fulfill its promises to the farmers, is continuously engaged in denigrating them. He went on to criticize Ranaut's statement, which labeled the farmers as rapists and representatives of foreign forces, deeming it as further proof of the BJP's hostility towards farmers. Gandhi highlighted the sacrifices made by the farmers during the 378-day long protest, including the loss of 700 lives. He further emphasized that the government committee formed to address the farmers' demands remains inactive, the government has yet to clarify its stance on Minimum Support Price (MSP), and the families of the deceased farmers have not received any relief. He accused the BJP of continuously tarnishing the image of the farmers.
Gandhi's statements come in response to Ranaut's inflammatory remarks. In an interview with a Hindi daily, Ranaut claimed that the farmers' protests could have led to a Bangladesh-like situation if the Union government had not intervened. She also alleged that incidents of rape and hanging took place during the protests. While the BJP has reprimanded Ranaut for her comments, distancing itself from her statements and prohibiting her from making similar remarks in the future, the damage has already been done. The BJP's public denouncement of Ranaut's statements has been widely interpreted as an attempt to control the narrative and prevent further escalation of the controversy. However, the incident has once again brought to the forefront the deep divisions within the Indian political landscape on the issue of farmer welfare.
Source: ‘BJP’s anti-farmer policies': Rahul Gandhi slams Kangana Ranaut's remark