'We are with you': Rahul Gandhi tells injured Punjab farmer

Chandigarh/New Delhi, Feb 14 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has spoken with a farmer injured in police action during the tillers' protest march, and accused the Modi government of having a "dictatorial attitude" towards the country's food providers.

Gandhi's telephonic conversation on Tuesday night with the injured farmer, Gurmeet Singh, was facilitated by Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Raja Warring who visited a government hospital in Rajpura town of Patiala district after the farmers clashed with Haryana Police.

In a post in Hindi on his WhatsApp channel, Gandhi said, "Talked on phone to former soldier Gurmeet Singh ji, who was seriously injured in police atrocities during the farmers' movement." "Equired about his health and expressed support to him for their peaceful movement demanding their rights," the former Congress chief said.

"He is a youth as well as a farmer - instead of hailing him, this dictatorial attitude of the Modi government towards the country's protector and food provider is putting democracy to shame," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader asked the injured farmer where all he sustained injuries, and the farmer replied that he had sustained wounds on his hands and near his eye.

Farmers on Tuesday had clashed with the Haryana Police at two border points between the states, facing tear gas and water cannons as they tried to break past barricades blocking their protest march to the national capital.

The former Congress president also asked the farmer how many protestors sustained injuries in the police action.

When the farmer spoke about the police action, Gandhi said, "it is completely wrong." "We are with you. Don't worry," Gandhi told the farmer.

"You are fighting for what is important for the country.You earlier worked for the country and you are doing it now as well. 'Shabash' (Well done). Best of luck," Gandhi told the farmer.

Farmer leaders on Tuesday blamed the Centre for the "attack" on protesters marching towards Delhi and claimed that 60 of them were injured as police used tear gas shells at Punjab-Haryana border points.

Twenty-four police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were injured as protesters hurled stones at them, officials said.

The Congress on Tuesday condemned the BJP governments at the Centre and in states for stopping protesting farmers from marching to Delhi and promised to fulfil their key demand of a law guaranteeing MSP for various crops once the INDIA bloc comes to power.

Supporting the farmers' agitation, the opposition party asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to directly talk to them and provide justice. PTI

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