Host farmers at your house like you did Obama; barricade Chinese not farmers: Owaisi to PM

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to invite protesting farmers to his residence like he had hosted then US President Barack Obama, and repeal the new farm laws. Owaisi, who was campaigning for the upcoming civic body polls in Gujarat, also asked the PM to be "large-hearted" and "understand pain" of the farmers who have been protesting for more than two months at borders of Delhi.

'PM should invite farmers to his residence' 

"The way the farmers are being treated is not right. It is wrong. The Prime Minister should invite the farmers to his residence like he had offered tea to (then US President) Barack Obama with his own hand (in 2015), which is fine as he was our guest. We expect the PM to invite the farmers, offer them tea and biscuits and tell them the (agri marketing) laws are being repealed, and that they should be happy," Owaisi said.

"When a poor person weeps out of helplessness, then nature tells us to help the poor, but those who have no sympathy for the poor, they remain unaffected by tears of the poor. We are with farmers, they are our 'annadatas', they work hard to get us food," he said. Taking a dig, Owaisi said the massive protest by farmers has "disturbed sleep" of PM Modi.

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'You did not fix nails in Ladakh...'

Owaisi also attacked the Narendra Modi government saying that instead of fixing nails and digging the highway in Delhi to stop the protesting farmers, it should have done the same things in Ladakh to prevent the Chinese aggression.

"Had you fixed nails in Ladakh, then the Chinese forces would not have entered India. You did not fix nails in Ladakh, where 18 Indian Army personnel were killed. If you had 56-inch chest, you should have taught China a lesson," he said while addressing a rally in Ahmedabad. Owaisi alleged that the three farm laws were against the Indian Constitution because agriculture was a state subject and the Centre had no right to make laws on a state

Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen is contesting maiden elections in Gujarat--in Ahmedabad and Bharuch-- in alliance with the Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP). With BTP leader Chhotu Vasava by his side, Owaisi made a strong pitch for the unity among tribals, Muslims, Dalits and OBCs in Gujarat.

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(With PTI inputs)