Don't portray farmers as anti-national: Sirsa slams Minister's 'China-Pakistan hand' claim

Senior Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Thursday hit out at Union Minister Raosaheb Danve after he claimed that Pakistan and China were behind the farmers' agitation against the Centre's farm laws. Sirsa, who is also the president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, said that it condemns the statement and asked the minister "not to portray the farmers as anti-national"

'This is a shameful statement': Manjinder Sirsa

"The farmers' agitation is being called anti-national and anarchist. The government is not providing justice to the farmers. They are protesting peacefully, and today there was a shameful statement by Raosaheb Danve who is a Union Minister. To say that the farmers are not protesting and that Pakistan and China are provoking them to protest is an insult to the people who feed India. This attempt of painting the farmers of India as anti-national is being done by Central ministers and spokespersons of the BJP. The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management committee condemns this statement and wants to say that these are the farmers who feed India and whose children sacrifice their lives for the country. Please do not try to portray them as anti-national," Sirsa said in a video statement. 

'Conspiracy of other countries': Union Minister Danve

The Union Minister of State for Food and Public Distribution was speaking at the inauguration of a health centre at Kolte Takli in Badnapur taluka of Maharashtra's Jalna district.

"The agitation that is going on is not that of farmers. China and Pakistan have a hand behind this. Muslims in this country were incited first. What was said (to them)? That NRC is coming, CAA is coming and Muslims will have to leave this country in six months. Did a single Muslim leave? Those efforts didn't succeed and now farmers are being told that they will face losses. This is the conspiracy of other countries," Danve said.

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The minister, however, did not elaborate on what basis he claimed that the two neighbouring countries are behind the farmers' protests. "The government is buying wheat at Rs 24 and rice at Rs 34 per kg and giving it to people at Rs 2 and Rs 3 per kg respectively. The government is spending Rs 1.75 lakh crore on the subsidy for this. The government is spending money for the welfare of farmers," he added. "These initiatives by the Central government show that it is ready to spend money for farmers, but others don't like it," the BJP leader claimed.

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