New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday spoke to ABP News about the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and her detainment.
In a telephonic conversation, she said: “The accused has not been arrested till now. I have been arrested, Akhilesh ji has been put under house arrest. Channi ji and Bhagel ji wanted to visit but they were also stopped”.
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When asked about Union MoS Ajay Misra’s claim that his son Ashish was not present at the spot of protest and alleged violence, Priyanka Gandhi said: “A father will protect his son, it is natural for him to do that. However, look at the video evidence”.
“There are several videos. There should be an investigation. Our workers have spoken to the farmers and what happened there is clear,” she replied when asked about the claim pertaining to farmers.
The Congress General Secretary supported the demand to have a probe be conducted by a retired judge.
Priyanka also refuted claims about her going on a hunger strike in protest against the violence. Elaborating on her detainment she said: “I am here. They have not shown us any order. They need to either arrest me or let me go”.
“I will definitely try to visit Lakhimpur when I am released,” she added.
Addressing the statements targeting the opposition for allegedly doing politics over the issue, the Congress leader said: “I am a politician and It is my duty to express empathy to the people. It is my duty to stand with the people. When I saw the video and the cruelty faced by the farmers I felt like I should definitely pay a visit”.
“When they do politics they call it nationalism but when opposition parties talk about ground realities and issues ailing the people it is termed as doing politics. They want opposition leaders to sit quietly because they want to finish democracy they only want their autocracy to continue,” she added.
“If we hadn’t raised our voices, would they have taken any action in the Hathras case? Would they have taken any action in Sonbhadra? Would they have announced anything today?” Priyanka Gandhi said referring to ADG (Law & Order) Prashant Kumar’s announcement.
The ADG (Law & Order) had said that the government will give Rs 45 lakhs and a government job to the families of 4 farmers who died in Lakhimpur Kheri yesterday. The injured will be given Rs 10 lakhs. FIR will be registered based on farmers' complaints and a retired high court judge will probe the matter.
Speaking to ABP News, Priyanka Gandhi further condemned the Lakhimpur Kheri violence saying “any act of violence is wrong. I have seen violence and lost my family members to it. Whoever has been affected - be it farmers or BJP workers, it (violence) is completely wrong. We should all be expressing our empathy to them”.
“However, I'd like to point out how farmers have been dealt with, the way they have been treated by the government in the past year. This is not the first such case, there have been instances where government dealt with farmers in a violent manner,” she claimed.