History will demand account of 'killing of farmers' from BJP: Rahul Gandhi on protesting farmer's death

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday condoled the death of a farmer in firing at the Khanauri border with Gandhi saying history will certainly demand an account of the farmers' killings from the BJP. In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "When farmers' lives will not be saved...Then, how will India remain silent?"

"The death of young farmer Shubhkaran Singh of Bathinda due to firing on Khanauri border is very painful," he said.

"The Modi government has - first taken the lives of 750 farmers, the son of a minister in Modi government crushed farmers with a car in Lakhimpur, it is important to remind that in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh too, farmers had lost their lives in police firing under the BJP government.


"Modi ji himself has called farmers abusive words like 'Andolanjeevi' and 'parjeevi' (parasites) in the Parliament. The 10 years of BJP rule for farmers - is like a stick on the back and a kick in the stomach. Shame on Modi government," the Congress president said in the post.

In a post on X, the former Congress chief said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrogance took 700 lives of the farmers last time and it has again become the enemy of the farmers.

"The news of death of young farmer Shubhkaran Singh in firing on Khanauri border is heartbreaking. My condolences are with his family.

"Last time, Modi's arrogance took the sacrifice of more than 700 farmers, now it has again become the enemy of their lives," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi.

"One day history will definitely demand an account of the 'killing of farmers' from the BJP which is hiding behind the friendly media," he also said, using the hashtag "#FarmerLivesMatter".

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also echoed similar sentiments and said, "On one hand, friendship with the capitalists, on the other hand, betrayal with farmers!".

A farmer was killed and a few others injured on the Punjab-Haryana border as the protesters resumed their 'Delhi Chalo' agitation, with the Haryana Police firing tear gas shells to thwart attempts to breach barricades at Shambhu and Khanauri.

Farmer leaders had rejected a proposal made by the government in the fourth round of talks between the two sides to break the deadlock and announced that thousands of Punjab farmers camping at these two border points would resume their agitation on Wednesday morning.

Earlier in the day, Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, who is among the three Union ministers engaging with the farmer leaders, called for further talks and appealed to the protesters to maintain peace.

Farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa identified the victim as Shubhkaran Singh (21), who died at Khanauri on the Sangrur-Jind border. Singh was a resident of Baloke village in Punjab's Bathinda district, he said.

The farmers claimed that Haryana Police personnel fired rubber bullets besides tear gas shells.

To press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farm debt waiver, the farmers are camping at the border points since February 13 along with their tractor-trolleys, mini-vans and pickup trucks.