Farmers on Friday staged a protest against Bharatiya Janata Party MP Ram Chander Jangra in Haryana’s Hisar district after he called them “jobless alcoholics”, reported NDTV.
“There’s no opposition to the farm laws,” Jangra can be heard saying in a video clip circulated by farmers, according to NDTV. “Those protesting are jobless alcoholics from villages. They are bad elements who keep doing such things. I keep going to Delhi regularly and I see most tents are empty. This problem will be resolved very soon.”
Jangra was in Narnaund city to lay the foundation stone for a shelter.
The MP had faced a similar protest in Haryana’s Rohtak district on Thursday. He was there to attend a Diwali programme at a cow shelter.
Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi’s border points since November 2020, seeking the withdrawal of the farm laws passed last September.
In Haryana, farmers are holding protests at events attended by BJP leaders and members of the saffron party’s ally in the state, Jannayak Janata Party.
On Friday, after the farmers learned about the MP’s visit, they staged a protest, shouting slogans and holding black flags.
The police put up barricades to stop the protesters from moving towards the venue. But the demonstrators managed to move past the blockades.
Jangra claimed that the windshield of his car was broken during the protest. He said that the police have told him that two persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, reported PTI.
“I spoke to Haryana DGP [director general of police] and the SP [superintendent of police] regarding this incident,” he said. “I have demanded strict punishment as per law against the culprits. This is a clear murder attempt.”
Jangra said that he was not attending a political event. “Will they [the farmers] oppose social functions too?” he asked.
The MP also claimed that no person was injured. However, the state president of the youth wing of Bharatiya Kisan Union Ravi Azad said that the police resorted to baton charge, in which a farmer identified as Kuldeep Rana sustained serious injuries.
“The police have arrested two of the agitating farmers, Sudhir Singhwa and Kailash Umra,” Azad said. “To demand their release, the farmers are moving towards Narnaund police station.”
He also urged locals to join the protestors at the Narnaund police station.
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