Expel Kangana if you don't agree with her views on farm laws: Cong tells BJP

The Congress intensified its criticism of the BJP on Wednesday (September 25) over remarks by its MP, Kangana Ranaut, advocating for the return of the three farm laws. The grand old party demanded that the BJP expel Ranaut if it does not support her statements.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday slammed the BJP over Ranaut's remarks calling for bringing back the three farm laws that were repealed in 2021 and said the poll-bound states, including Haryana, would give a befitting reply to the ruling party.

Ranaut on Wednesday withdrew her remarks calling for bringing back the three farm laws and said those were her personal opinions and did not represent the party's stand.

The actor-politician said she must remember that she is not only an artiste but also a BJP member now and her statements should be in line with her party's policies.

Cong hits out

The Congress on Tuesday shared on X a video in which she said in Hindi, "Farm laws that have been repealed should be brought back. I think this may get controversial. The laws in farmers' interest be brought back. Farmers should themselves demand this (to bring farm laws back) so that there is no hindrance to their prosperity.

"Farmers are a pillar of strength in India's progress. Only in some states, they had objected to farm laws. I appeal with folded hands that farm laws should be brought back in the interest of farmers," she had said.

In an apparent response to Ranaut's remarks, Kharge said, "Even after the martyrdom of 750 farmers, the anti-farmer BJP and Modi government did not realize their grave crime! There is talk of re-implementation of the three black anti-farmer laws. The Congress Party strongly opposes this." The 62 crore farmers will not forget that the Modi government crushed the farmers under a vehicle, used barbed wire, teargas from drones, nails and guns against them.

"This time, poll-bound states, including Haryana, will give a befitting reply to insulting remarks, calling farmers 'andolanjeevi' and 'parasites', hurled by the prime minister himself in Parliament," the Congress chief said in a post in Hindi.

'Insulting farmers'

"Due to Modi ji's statements, his ministers, MPs and propaganda machinery have become habituated to insulting the farmers," he alleged.

"In 10 years, the Modi government has broken three promises made to the country's food producers'“ doubling the income of farmers by 2022, implementing input cost + 50% MSP as per the Swaminathan Report and legal guarantee for MSP," Kharge said.

"When the farmers' agitation was withdrawn, Modi ji had announced a government committee, which is still in cold storage. The Modi government is against the legal guarantee of MSP," he alleged.

No relief was given to the families of the farmers who died and the Modi government did not even consider it appropriate to observe two minutes of silence in their memory in Parliament, Kharge alleged.

On top of that, their character assassination is going on continuously, he added.

'Anti-farmer hateful mindset'

The whole country has come to know that "anti-farmer hateful mindset" is present in every part of the BJP, the Congress president said.

Asked about Ranaut's remarks, Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said, "She is not an RSS-BJP worker, she got a ticket at the behest of PM Modi. So when she speaks, PM Modi should condemn this. Why hasn't he condemned it?" "More than 750 were martyred and this is an insult to those martyred. If I make a serious statement which is not in line with my party, the party would expel me, has the BJP expelled her? If you do not agree with her remarks, why are you not expelling her?" he said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters here.

"Your (the BJP) intentions are visible that you want to bring back the farm laws that is why you get statements made by your minions. So it is my demand that the BJP should expel her and if it does not do that, the loud and clear message is that Modi and the BJP are insulting the memory of the martyred farmers, they are insulting farmers and he wants to benefit his friends to bring back the three farm laws," Gohil said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Congress had cited Ranaut's remarks on the farm laws to allege that the ruling party was making efforts to bring back the three laws that were repealed in 2021 and asserted that Haryana would give a befitting reply to it.

'Black laws'

In a post in Hindi along with the video, the Congress had said, "The three black laws imposed on the farmers should be brought back: BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has said this. More than 750 farmers of the country were martyred, only then did the Modi government wake up and these black laws were withdrawn." Now the BJP MPs are planning to bring back these laws, the Congress had alleged.

"The Congress is with the farmers. These black laws will never return, no matter how hard Narendra Modi and his MPs try," the opposition party had said on X.

The three laws -- Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act -- were repealed in November 2021.

The farmers' protest started at the fag-end of November 2020 and ended after Parliament repealed the three laws. The legislations came into force in June 2020 and were repealed in November 2021.

(With agency inputs)