Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday criticised the police action against farmers protesting at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana, saying that firing of teargas shells at the protestors is condemnable.

“[The] farmers want to come to Delhi to put forward their demands before the government and express their pain,” Gandhi said on social media. “Firing tear gas shells on them and trying to stop them in various ways is condemnable. The government should listen to their demands and problems seriously”.

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The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the suffering of the farmers can be gauged the fact that a farmer dies by suicide ever hour. “The country has not forgotten the martyrdom of more than 700 farmers in the first farmers' movement due to the extreme insensitivity of the Modi government,” he added.

Farmers protesting at the Shambhu border suspended their “Delhi Chalo” march on Friday after several of them were injured by Haryana Police’s firing of teargas shells. The march is scheduled to resume on Sunday.

The farmers have been camping at the border points of Shambhu and Khanauri since February. This was their first attempt to march towards Delhi since then.

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The key demand is a legal guarantee of minimum support prices and the implementation of the MS Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations. The farmers have also alleged that the Centre has not taken steps to address their demands, claiming that no talks have been held since February 18.

On Friday, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan promised in Parliament that the Centre will purchase all farm produce at minimum support price.

“I want to assure the House through you that all produce of farmers will be purchased at minimum support price,” Chouhan told the Rajya Sabha. “This is the Modi government and the guarantee to fulfil Modi's guarantee.”

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