Kisan Padyatra: Rahul Gandhi accuses BJP of 'brutally beating up' on non-violence day

Speaking out in support of agitating farmers, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday condemned the use of violence on the farmer’s rally. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “brutally beating up” farmers at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border on International Day of Non-Violence. The police had used tear gas and water cannons to disperse farmers and also resorted to lathi-charge injuring a few.

“On International Day of Non-Violence, the BJP’s two-year Gandhi Jayanti celebrations began with the brutal beating of farmers peacefully coming to Delhi. Now, the farmers cannot even air the grievances coming to the capital!” he tweeted in Hindi.

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विश्व अहिंसा दिवस पर BJP का दो-वर्षीय गांधी जयंती समारोह शांतिपूर्वक दिल्ली आ रहे किसानों की बर्बर पिटाई से शुरू हुआ।

अब किसान देश की राजधानी आकर अपना दर्द भी नहीं सुना सकते! #KisanKrantiYatra

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 2, 2018

Speaking on the same lines as the party president, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, “On the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Modi government has shown that it is no different from the pre-independence British government in India. The British government then used to exploit the farmers and today the Modi government is firing tear gas shells at farmers.”

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The farmers were rallying under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union. Farmers participating in the movement raised slogans to put forth their demand for complete loan waiver and reduction in electricity tariff, among other demands. Farmers staging the protest movement also demanded provision of a pension to every farmer aged above 60.