Rahul Gandhi gives new twist to farmers' protest: '4-5 businessmen run airports, courts'

Lashing out at PM Modi, ex-Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, on Friday, alleged that 'some 4-5 businessmen were running everything - from airport to courts' while addressing the agitating farmers at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Gandhi along with sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several party workers joined the farmers' protest at Jantar Mantar - as part of Congress' 'Kisan Adhikar Diwas' rally. The tenth round of talks between Centre and farmer were inconclusive earlier today, with the next round of talks fixed for 19 January.

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: PM Modi to launch COVID vaccination drive at 10:30 AM tomorrow

Rahul Gandhi: '4-5 businessmen run everything'

"Narendra Modi and his 2-3 businessmen friends are going to steal everything that you have soon. They have imposed the three Farm Laws on the farmers, they have taken away jobs from youth. Be it media, IT, retail or power, or entire India, you can see only 4-5 big businessmen and Narendra Modi - no one else. There are no farmer, workers or other businessmen. Airport, court all are being run by these businessmen. And who is letting them run it? Narendra Modi," said Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi & Priyanka Vadra hijack farmers' protest; say 'PM being remote controlled'

Centre-Farmer talks

The Centre's 10th round of talks with farmers' unions concluded with a detailed discussion on all three farm laws especially The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. Speaking to the media on Friday, Union Agricultural Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stated the Centre tried to address the concerns of farmers, he acknowledged that no agreement could not be reached. Moreover, he revealed that the farmer leaders had rejected the Centre's request to form a smaller committee to air their grievances.

Centre-farm unions talks to resume on Jan 19; farmers affirm 'no engagement with SC panel'

SC stays Farm Laws

The Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the implementation of the three controversial farm laws until further orders and formed a four-member committee to hold talks and resolve the stand-off between the farmers and the Centre. A key point of the hearing was that four top lawyers who had appeared for the farmers' groups and others in the hearing on Monday failed to appear, as the unions do not wish an SC intervention in the matter. The 4-member committee of Ashok Gulati, Bhupinder Singh Mann, Pramod Kumar Joshi and Anil Ghanwat must submit its recommendations pertaining to the farm laws within two months from the date of the first sitting - which will happen within 10 days. Mann, who is BKU president - has now recused himself from the committee. The farmer unions' have refused to participate in the talks claiming all four members in the committee support the Farm Laws, while the Centre has welcomed the Supreme Court's decision. Farmers are now gearing for the tractor rally which they will take out on January 26 from Red Fort to India Gate.

PM Modi to launch 'World's biggest COVID vaccination drive' tomorrow at 10:30 AM