Farmers shot during Cong rule, Digvijaya Singh's hands stained with blood: Shivraj Chouhan

New Delhi: Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated that farmers were "shot at" in various states under Congress governments and that Digvijaya Singh's (former Congress Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh) "hands are stained with blood, having killed 24 farmers."

"In 1986, 23 farmers were shot by police during Congress rule in Bihar. In Delhi, in 1988, on the occasion of the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, two farmers were shot dead by the police. In 1988, they killed five farmers in Meerut. In 1995, six farmers were killed by police in Haryana," the Union Minister added.

Meanwhile, the Opposition held loud protests and walked out of the House.

The Congress pushed for a reply but the demand was denied by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.

"There is no right of reply under rule 238(2). If any grievance is raised as per the correct provisions, I will consider it," Dhankhar said.

The Agriculture Minister continued that during Congress rule, on August 23, 1995, a similar action took place.

He said, "On August 23, 1995, farmers were shot at in Haryana, resulting in the deaths of six farmers. On January 12, 1998, another such incident occurred. During Congress rule, farmers were shot at, leading to the deaths of 24 farmers."

He recalled other similar incidents, including the 2010 Andhra Pradesh incident, where two farmers were killed by in firing, and another in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, where four farmers died.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar calmed the minister, to which Chouhan responded by saying that he had already warned that "if provoked," he would "not spare anyone."

He said that the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi has increased the "risk-taking capacity" of farmers.

Presenting data regarding the mentions of farmers in the Independence Day speeches of former prime ministers of the country, he highlighted, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned farmers six times in 2014, 23 times in 2015, 31 times in 2016, 20 times in 2017, 17 times in 2018, 17 times in 2019, 17 times in 2020, 15 times in 2021. Take out the data, he has mentioned farmers most frequently in his addresses."

Without naming the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Chouhan said that the leader was on a "trip." The minister alleged that "he (Rahul Gandhi) reached Sonipat, cameras were installed in the field. He was asking the cameramen where to stand and what to do."

Referring to this incident, he said that farmers' welfare will not happen through "drama."

"I am a farmer's son, and I farm myself," he added.

Regarding the farm sector, Chouhan mentioned that the PM Modi-led Central government is moving towards climate-resilient agriculture. He said that nearly 1,500 climate-smart biofortified crop varieties will be developed, and 109 such varieties will be launched by the Prime Minister this year."

He stated that PM Modi's vision is to take a holistic view of health, including that of humans, soil, animals and plants.,The Central government plans to set up 100 horticulture clusters and amend the Pesticides Act for safe use of farm chemicals.

Chouhan said the government had launched an oilseeds mission worth Rs 68,000 crore and expanded irrigation to 1.30 lakh hectares.