Farmers' agitation seems to have been hijacked by 'anti-national' forces: BJP leader

The BJP is ready to talk to farmers to address their apprehensions about the new farm laws, but their agitation seems to have been "hijacked by anti-national" forces, the party's Uttarakhand unit said on Sunday.

The BJP is ready to talk to farmers to address their apprehensions about the new farm laws, but their agitation seems to have been "hijacked by anti-national" forces, the party's Uttarakhand unit said on Sunday. The BJP also said that Congress and other parties have "misled" farmers on the agriculture sector-related laws.

"Pro-Pakistan and pro-Khalistan slogans are being shouted in the agitation which seems to have been hijacked," BJP general secretary in-charge of party affairs in Uttarakhand Dushyant Kumar Gautam alleged at a press conference here. "Farmers have nothing to do with it. It has been hijacked by terrorists and anti-national forces. People coming in swanky cars and in bright clothes cannot be farmers," he said. Gautam was speaking in reference to the protests by thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, against the Centre's new farm laws on Delhi's border points and at the Burari ground. He also accused Congress and other parties of misleading the farmers.   "Farmers are our brothers and we are ready to talk to them but they are being misled by Congress and other parties," Gautam said, adding that he deplores the entry of "divisive elements" into the agitation.

"The Aam Aadmi Party which did not even provide food to migrant workers during the peak of coronavirus pandemic is pitching tents for the agitating farmers and giving them food. People associated with the stir in Shaheen Bagh have also joined the agitating farmers," he told reporters.         During the press conference, Gautam also shared details of BJP president J P Nadda's four-day tour of Uttarakhand from December 4-7. He said that the party president will meet seers in Haridwar, the chief minister and ministers in Dehradun besides participating in organisational meetings.             One of the highlights of his visit will be his meeting with the party's booth committees, Gautam said.           He said the BJP will perform even better in the 2022 assembly polls in Uttarakhand than it did in 2017, and win 60 out of the total 70 assembly seats.           The BJP had bagged 57 seats in the state in the last assembly polls.

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