Shri Rahul Gandhi - Namaskar! Good Afternoon!

All of us are aware of what is going on with regard to the farmers’ protest. I just want to make a couple of things clear to the younger people, men and women of this country. It is important that you understand what these three laws are, so…

The first law destroys the ‘Mandi System’, destroys the agricultural markets of this country. The second law allows unlimited storage of grain and other materials and will make it practically impossible for our farmers to negotiate their prices. The third law basically says that if the farmers have grievance, they cannot go to court.

Now, it is obvious as to why the farmers are agitated. It is because the Government is destroying the livelihoods of India’s farmers. It is destroying the livelihoods of our laborers and it is going to give the middle class a shock in the coming times because the prices of food are going to skyrocket.

Now, what is being done to the farmers is absolutely criminal. You are beating them, you are threatening them, you are bullying them, and you are trying to discredit them. The Government needs to talk to the farmers. It needs to give a solution to the farmers and the only solution, as I have said again and again and again, is repealing these laws and putting the laws into a waste-paper basket.

The Government must not think that the farmers are going to go home, they are not going to go home, and my concern is that this situation is going to spread. We do not need this situation to spread, we need a conversation with the farmers, and we need a solution, so that is broadly what I wanted to say.

Now your questions.

In response to a question asked in connection with the incident at the Red Fort on 26 January, Shri Rahul Gandhi said that tell me one thing, who let those people inside the Red Fort and why? Is it not the job of the Home Ministry to bar their entry into the Red Fort, to not allow them inside? Who is responsible for that? It is a simple thing, why were they let in, who let them in? Go and ask the Home Minister. Also, ask the Home Minister the idea behind it as well as how were they allowed inside?

On a question about PM’s continued silence on the farmers’ issue & Red Fort violence, Shri Rahul Gandhi said- As I said in a speech in Kerala, this is the biggest transfer of wealth from the largest number of people to the smallest number of people. You have seen what has happened in Covid. During Covid, the Poor have got poorer and a handful of rich people, 5-6 rich people have just got richer and richer and richer and richer. This anger that you are seeing among the farmers. It is that anger that 5 people, 7 people have everything, we have nothing. And that which was ours is also being taken away. So, what will the Prime Minister say? The Prime Minister works for these 5 people. Demonetization was done for them, GST was incorporated for them, they are snatching the future of the farmers, so what will he say? There is nothing to say.

But they should not assume that the farmers will retreat and I want to say to the farmers - we are all with you, do not step back even an inch, this is your future, fight for it. And do not let these 4, 5, 10 people who are trying to steal your goods and your future, to do so. We will help you all.

On another question that yesterday in Ghazipur, the farmer leader Rakesh Tikait has alleged that BJP MLAs of that area are roaming around in cars and inciting people to plot a conspiracy against us? Shri Rahul Gandhi said that this is a misunderstanding to BJP. I spoke in Kerala, in Tamil Nadu that there is an issue in this that all the farmers of the country have not yet understood these laws in depth. The matter has been understood here in Punjab, in Haryana, in UP, in Rajasthan. The Prime Minister should not think that this movement will stop here. Because it’s not just the farmer who is angry, there are millions of youth in India from whom these 5-10 people, the Prime Minister has taken away employment. They do not see the future. The entire movement will spread in cities. I am intimating the Prime Minister, there is going to be a lot of harm, the country is going to be harmed. Talk to the farmers, resolve this situation, withdraw these laws, otherwise the country will suffer. See, there is this instability in the country and the country is not benefiting from this instability, right. Injustice being done, instability will not go away without correcting that injustice. But I am saying that there is no benefit from instability. We will have to talk and resolve it, with immediate effect.

On a question about the pattern of BJP in dealing with JNU & the farmers’ agitation and the demand for resignation of Union Home Minister for his failure in handling the Red Fort incident, Shri Rahul Gandhi said- I think, absolutely, the person who has allowed this to happen should resign, but, there is no way he is going to resign. I mean, the BJP doesn’t take responsibility for its actions, so I don’t expect him to resign.

But the whole idea is to discredit the farmers. Look, this is a genuine voice and it is the voice of India that is speaking. It is the voice of the nation. The Prime Minister will have to listen to it. And I am telling you, if he does not listen, it will spread. It will spread to other states, you cannot suppress it. I have a lot of experience, I have a 15years of political experience, you cannot suppress it. It will spread and that too in full swing.

On another question that it is being said that there has been violence by some pro-BJP people in the presence of police today, Shri Rahul Gandhi said that tell me one thing, farmers have been standing there for months. There are not handful of people but there are millions of them, so, there has to be something in it. There has to be some feeling or pain of some sort. Have all of these people, I mean, have these millions of people stood up just like that, without any reason? There is some reason! The simple reason is that you are snatching their future from them. You are dismantling the agricultural system of India. You are handing over the entire agriculture system of India to your two-three friends and you feel that the farmers will do nothing. The farmers are being robbed, small businessmen are being robbed, small-medium businesses are being robbed, even their future is being dismantled. So, if you think that this matter concerns only farmers, then you are wrong. It will spread from farmers to laborers, to cities, to slums. It will spread.

On another question that you said that you are with the farmers, are you talking about Moral support, Shri Rahul Gandhi said that see, our goal is to overthrow this loot which is what I would like to call it. Almost 60 percent of Indian population is being robbed. We are trying to stop that. We can help farmers in every possible way. Whatever they ask of us, we will do. We stand with them to prevent any sort of loot. I am not in direct touch with them, but our leaders, I mean, we remain updated.

On another question that the way the incident happened on 26 January, it is also being said that people of some objectionable ideology were also involved in it. Shri Rahul Gandhi said that I would say that you have opened a space. You are not dealing with farmers. You, I mean, there is a movement here, a political space. You should close that space as soon as possible. You are the government. Because the country is not benefiting from it. So, we say, resolve it quickly, do not waste time. Talk to our farmers who are in this as soon as possible and resolve it and normalize the situation. This is our point. There are certainly two or three wrong types of people in it, that is fine, you take action against them, but the millions of people who are standing are genuine ones.

Shri Rahul Gandhi on twitter- Na Ghazipur mein Police tainaat karke, Na #SinghuBorder par pathraav karke, Na kisi or saazish se Kisaan ka hauslaa tod paoge, Poora desh unke sath khadaa hai, unhe aap dara-dhamkaa nahi sakte.