‘I will always stand by you’: Priyanka Gandhi tells UP farmers

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Sunday said that she will continue to fight for the farmers till her last breath, whether it is 100 days or 100 years.

Speaking at a 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' at village Kaili in Meerut’s Sardhana, the Congress leader urged the farmers to hold protests like those at Delhi borders in every village.

"You will find the Congress standing with you everywhere. Whenever you are in trouble, we will be there beside you. Your fight is our fight, and I will be with you till my last breath," she said.

Earlier, she arrived at the venue on a tractor and was greeted by farmers who cheered the leader. People were overwhelmed to find the charismatic Congress leader among themselves and raised slogans in her support.

On her way to Meerut from Delhi, she was greeted by Congress workers at more than a dozen places.

Priyanka said that the three farm laws were a betrayal of the farmers’ trust by the Narendra Modi government. The laws were made without even consulting the biggest stakeholders who are farmers.

"For over 100 days, farmers are sitting on the borders of Delhi, but the government is not concerned. The government, in fact, is being run by the two friends of the Prime Minister. Farmers are being attacked from all sides. Petrol and diesel prices have shot through the ceiling, electricity is very costly. You will have to keep fighting to bring about a change," she added.

The Congress leader also expressed concern over the delay in payment of sugarcane dues and said, "The government has money to buy two aircrafts worth Rs 16,000 crore but not to pay the dues of cane farmers. When my brother Rahul Gandhi observed a two-minute silence in Parliament to pay respect to farmers who have died during the agitation, not a single member of the ruling party stood up. Is this not an insult to farmers? Calling them 'andolanjivi' and 'parjivi' (pest) is also insult to the farmers."

Sheoraj Singh, a local farmer who came to listen to the Congress leader said, “Politically, Congress party is very weak in this area, but today there is a record crowd here. We all have come here to listen to Priyanka Gandhi. I have also heard her for the first time. She is very mature and speaks very well. We were mistaken in choosing our friends. Those whom we trusted have betrayed us, but those whom we did not support are standing by us today as our true friends.”

Priyanka Gandhi was welcomed by women at dozens of places. Rajbir Devi, who welcomed her at Daurala, said that she likes Priyanka Gandhi very much.

This was the fourth Kisan Mahapanchayat addressed by the Congress General Secretary in Western Uttar Pradesh. She earlier attended similar events in Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor and Saharanpur.

(With inputs from NH Political Bureau)