Alleging that the new agricultural laws are designed to destroy the agricultural sector and hand it over to “three or four crony capitalists”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that repealing the legislation was the only solution to end the stalemate and the government’s attempt to “drag” the talks will not succeed.

Launching an all-out attack on the BJP-led government at a press conference, Gandhi said he was a patriot who feared no one, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and claimed he had a clear criminal record and no one could touch him.

“They can shoot me, but cannot touch me. I am a patriot and I protect my country, and I will continue to do so,” he said.

Congress chief raised issue of Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami’s alleged WhatsApp conversations, claiming that providing official secret information to a journalist is a “criminal act” and that both donor and recipient will have to go to jail .

Gandhi said only five people – the prime minister, defense minister, interior minister, air force chief and national security adviser – knew about the information , referring to allegations that the reported conversations showed that Goswami was aware of Balakot’s airstrikes.

“It’s a criminal act. We’ll have to find out who did it, and both (the donor and the recipient) will have to go to jail.

“This process should start, but this process will not start because the prime minister may have given the information,” he said.

He said the discussions on the Pulwama attack in which the reporter said “it is good for us” are distressing and constitute an “anti-national act”.

He also raised the issue of establishing a “Chinese village” in Arunachal Pradesh and said India must send a clear message to China, which is testing the waters and will not remain silent.

He called the situation with China “very dangerous” and said India under Prime Minister Modi did not have a clear strategy on China.

“If India does not give a clear message to China and strategize – be it military, economic or geopolitical – China will not remain silent. China will benefit and India will suffer losses and no one can stop it, ”said Gandhi, when asked about the problem.

On the issue of farmers, the former head of Congress said that a tragedy is unfolding in the country that will lead to the creation of monopolies in all sectors, including agriculture, with a few individuals owning everything and the weight of this will be supported by the middle class who will have to pay high prices.

There is only one solution that these three laws will have to be repealed, Gandhi said when asked about the stalemate in talks between the government and protesting farmers’ unions.

“The arrogance of the government suggests that the farmers will tire themselves out and may be fooled, but they will not stop and cannot be fooled either,” he said, adding that they were over. wise as the Prime Minister.

The government is trying to deceive farmers and drag out talks, he alleged.

Gandhi again alleged that “buddy capitalists with a close relationship with the prime minister” benefited from government decisions.

“There is a tragedy unfolding in our country today, the government wants to ignore this tragedy, it wants to misinform people,” he said.

He claimed that industries at all levels – be it airports, infrastructure, telecommunications, retail – have “massive monopolies” by three or four people.

“What you have to understand is that this is not about the farmers. It is about the creation of massive monopolies in this country that will take the wealth out of the Indian people. This is the crux of the matter. problem, ”he said.

“The last stronghold that was protected by the monopoly is invaded and the three new laws are designed to destroy Indian agriculture, destroying the mandis, destroying the Essential Commodities Act and ensuring that no Indian farmer can go to court, ”Gandhi said.

Gandhi also published a brochure highlighting the “plight” of farmers as a result of the Center’s three agricultural laws.

He claimed that the people understood the implications of these laws which would ensure that three or four people would own the entire agricultural sector, the farmers not getting the value they deserved and the destruction of the Mandi system.

“Three or four businessmen will be able to store millions upon millions of tons of wheat, rice, other basic necessities and my middle class friends, you will pay prices you never imagined.” , did he declare.

“I 100% support the farmers who are protesting and every person in the country should support them as they fight for us,” he said, adding that the country should understand this before losing its independence again. .

Responding to BJP chairman JP Nadda for his critical tweets earlier today, the congressional leader said it was an “attempt at distraction.”

The farmers know that it was Rahul Gandhi who defended them in Bhatta Parsaul and on the issue of land acquisition, not BJP leader Nadda, he said.

“Is JP Nadda my teacher that I am responsible to him. Who is he? Is he teacher or teacher from India, why should I answer him, I answer the country, I answer the farmers who can ask me anything, “he said. .

“I am not afraid of anyone, neither of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi nor of anyone else. I have a clean criminal record and they cannot touch me. They can shoot me, but they cannot. touch. I am a patriot and I protect my country, and I will continue to do so, “he said.

(Only the title and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)