As farmers completed 100 days sitting outside Delhi’s borders, the Congress on Saturday said this was a dark chapter of India’s democracy because the insensitive Narendra Modi government had crossed all limits of brutality instead of democratically responding to their genuine demands for withdrawal of the black laws.

The Congress also stuck its neck out by linking the outcome of the impending election in five states to the farm laws, with the party’s communications chief Randeep Surjewala appealing to voters to teach the BJP a lesson for being so cruel to the farmers. Defeat would open the eyes of the government that had crossed all “limits of insensitivity and brutality” in the last 100 days, he said.

Farmers protest on their tractors. Prem Singh

Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “Whose sons lay their lives on the nation’s borders, this government planted nails for those people on Delhi’s borders. The farmers are fighting for their rights, the government offers atrocities.”

In another tweet, Rahul hailed the patience and determination of the farmers, saying: “They wait for the crop for months after sowing seeds, not intimidated by bad weather. The government will have to withdraw these laws.”

The farmers are not only fighting for themselves but for the entire poor and middle class who will suffer the dangerous consequences of these laws, said Pawan Khera. Prem Singh

Posting a video encapsulating the suffering and grit of the farmers, Priyanka Gandhi tweeted: “Hundred days of farmers’ struggle, of the fight for rights and self-esteem, of following the path shown by Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Nehru, Shastri and Bhagat Singh. Hundred days of BJP government’s arrogance, of assault on farmers, of lies and humiliation of farmers.”

While the video shows how police blocked their way, dug up roads and planted nails and barbed wire, used water cannons and lathicharge, Surjewala said in a statement: “The Prime Minister said the government is a call away from the farmers. While Modi is in constant touch with the capitalist friends, he is constantly out of coverage area for the farmers. He fully understands the ill-effects of these farm laws, how the mandi system will be finished and unrestricted storage will allow price manipulation. But he will not scrap these laws because he has conspired to hand over the agriculture trade worth Rs 25 lakh crore to his capitalist friends.”

Party spokesperson Pawan Khera said: “Farmers have braved the government’s brutalities, extreme winter, defamatory narrative and deaths of their colleagues. While most of us are busy handling our daily chores and paying EMIs despite extreme miseries and frustration, one section has shown the courage for raising the voice against injustice. The farmers are not only fighting for themselves but for the entire poor and middle class who will suffer the dangerous consequences of these laws.”

He added: “This is a dark chapter of our democracy. The farmers were demonised for holding peaceful protests, called terrorists…. We may be entering a dangerous arena as we don’t know how this regime will behave after being cornered. We have seen farmers protest in Delhi during Rajiv Gandhi’s time when they sat at Boat Club (just in front of Parliament). The government then didn’t try to remove them or malign them by calling them terrorists or agents of foreign powers.”

Farmers gather on Delhi-Haryana border. Prem Singh

Farmer appeal

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), spearheading the farmers’ movement, on Saturday issued an appeal to all citizens of Haryana to mount pressure on their legislators to vote against the M.L. Khattar government in the March 10 vote of no confidence.

The motion has been moved by the Congress on the issue of the farmers’ protests.

“SKM appeals to all citizens of Haryana to approach their legislators, especially from BJP and JJP, and ensure that the anti-farmer state government of BJP and its allies is defeated in this no-confidence motion,’’ the Morcha said.

The SKM has warned that MLAs who do not stand with farmers “will be taught a lesson by people in future’”. The farm protests enjoy popular support across the state.

The BJP-JJP alliance has 50 legislators in a House with an effective strength of 86.