No compromise on issues affecting common man, says new LoP

We take up the issues affecting the poor. Somebodyshould talk, the senior Congress leader said.The 78-year-old veteran leader, with over 50 yearsexperience in politics, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi andthe BJP to listen to the voices of agitating farmers andaddress their grievances.The farmers have been agitating against the new farmlaws for past few months and demanding that they be withdrawnas it abolishes the MSP and the Mandi system We are all supporting their demand.

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 20 (PTI): Opposing the governmentjust for the sake of doing so was not his style offunctioning, new leader of the Opposition in the Rajya SabhaMallikarjun Kharge said, but made it clear there would be nocompromise on issues affecting the common man.

''We are not opposing the government just for the sake ofopposition.

We oppose the government's wrong policies affecting thecommon man,'' he told PTI to a query on how he would functionas Leader of the Opposition.

Kharge, who became LoP this week following the retirementof Ghulam Nabi Azad,flagged the ongoing farmers stir demandingrepeal of the three farm laws enacted by Parliament last year,''flouting all procedures'' and demanded that they be withdrawn.

He suggested that the government come up with freshproposals after withdrawing these controversial laws and referthem to a parliamentary standing committee for scrutiny.

The senior Congress leader visited Kerala on Friday toaddress a public meeting organised in Kollam as the Congress-led UDF's 'Aiswarya Kerala Yatra', led by senior party leaderRamesh Chennithala arrived in Kollam.

The yatra is being organised to reach out to people aheadof the assembly polls likely to be held in April-May.

Kharge, a hardcore Gandhi family loyalist, said his partyleaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had asked him to''highlight the issues of the poor people'' on the floor of theHouse.

''We raise the issues (in Parliament) not to becomefamous. We take up the issues affecting the poor. Somebodyshould talk'', the senior Congress leader said.

The 78-year-old veteran leader, with over 50 years'experience in politics, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi andthe BJP to listen to the voices of agitating farmers andaddress their grievances.

''The farmers have been agitating against the new farmlaws for past few months and demanding that they be withdrawnas it abolishes the MSP and the Mandi system We are all supporting their demand. The government hasfailed to satisfy the farmers, the major stakeholders, whilebringing in these laws and should withdraw them,'' he said.

Kharge came down on the Centre on the issue, allegingthat the government was using all its machinery to divide thefarmers by terming them as 'Khalistanis' and 'Pakistanis.' The LoP alleged that the incidents at the Red Fort onJanuary 26 was a planned conspiracy by the government was onesuch move to cause divisions among the farmers and was doneto 'hide its failures.' He also flayed the government over the increasing fuelprices, saying they were doing ''a great injustice'' to thepeople.

''Petrol prices are at an all time high, whileinternational crude oil prices have touched a record low.

By hiking prices day by day, the central government isdoing a great injustice to the people of this country'', hesaid.

Kharge also urged Kerala's ruling CPI(M)-led LDFgovernment to reduce state taxes on petrol and diesel to easethe burden on the people.