Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress to gherao Parliament to protest "anti-farmer" policies of Modi government

The Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress has decided to gherao Parliament on October 23 to protest "anti-farmer" policies of the Narendra Modi government, its chief Nana Patole said Tuesday.

At a press conference, he said farmers from across the country will converge in the national capital and will "expose" the Modi government over "false promises" it made to farmers.

The theme of the farmers' protest will be "Jawaab do, Hisaab do", he said.

"We will demand answers and an account from the Modi government on how many assurances made to farmers have been fulfilled. The Modi government has betrayed the farmers of the country by making false promises to them," he alleged.

"This Modi government is a 'murderer' of farmers, this is a reality and not an allegation. There has been a 25-per cent rise in farmers' suicides across the country ever since this government came to power," he claimed.

He also denounced the use of force against farmers during their agitation at the Delhi-UP border on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The Congress leader also alleged the Modi government is using public money for its own publicity and not giving a loan waiver to farmers who are reeling due to crop failures and unremunerative prices.

Patole, a former BJP MP from Maharashtra who joined the Congress a few months ago, said the protesters will highlight the "anti-farmer policies and mindset" of the Modi government on October 23.

He said farmers across the country were planning another agitation later this year or early next year to press for their demands, including a loan waiver.