Days after the Centre informed Parliament that it has no record of the farmers who had died during the farmers’ protests, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at it, seeking compensation for the families of the deceased farmers.
Gandhi said that families of the farmers who lost their lives in the protest should be given compensation and job.
“Around 700 farmers died in farmers’ agitation. Prime Minister apologised to the nation and farmers of the nation. He accepted that he made a mistake. On November 30, Agriculture Minister was asked a question – how many farmers died in the agitation? He said he doesn’t have any data,” Congress MP said in Lok Sabha.
“We found out that Punjab government has given Rs 5 Lakh compensation for around 400 farmers; also provided jobs for 152 of them. I have the list. We have made another list of 70 farmers from Haryana. Your government says that you don’t have their names,” he said, stepping up his attack.
The Congress leader also took to Twitter to attack the government for not withdrawing police cases against farmers and not giving compensation and jobs to the families of the slain farmers.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar last week told the House that the government has no record of the farmers who had died during the over one-year-long farmers’ agitation against now-repealed three farm laws and thus there was no question of providing compensation to their families.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare has no record in the matter and hence the question does not arise,” Tomar had said reply to a question asking if the Centre proposes to provide financial assistance to the kin of farmers who died during the year-long agitation.
Opposition leaders and the protesting farmer unions have said that over 700 farmers lost their lives during the protests against the Centre’s now-repealed three agricultural laws.
On Monday, Parliament cleared a bill to repeal the three laws, which triggered protests at Delhi border points by thousands of farmers.
The formal withdrawal came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation had announced the withdrawal of the three farm laws, saying the government could not convince protesting farmers about the benefits of the agriculture sector reforms. He had also appealed to the protesting farmers to end the protest and return home.
