New Delhi [India], August 7 : Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his 'farmers are top priority' remark amid a 25 per cent additional tariff on Indian goods by the US. He said that the government did not care for farmers during the 2020-21 protests against the Farm Bills.
Recalling the farmers' protest, Uddhav Thackeray said that the protestors were stopped from entering the national capital, and some even died.
"The farmers who wanted to come to Delhi were stopped. Some of the poor farmers died. You did not remember the farmers then. Now you are remembering the farmers," the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief told reporters.
He added that the government's "lies" are being exposed now.
Thackeray said, "Now everyone says 'I am a farmer's son'. This means their fathers were on a hunger strike, and they were not allowed to come to Delhi. Guns were used on them. Walls were erected, and they were called Naxalites. All their lies are slowly getting exposed, day by day, and their real face is coming out."
Uddhav Thackeray is in Delhi and will attend the INDIA bloc meeting at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's residence. When asked about Raj Thackeray joining the meeting, he said, "Both the brothers are capable enough. We will do whatever we have to do. There is no need for any third person."
Earlier today, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav took a dig at the Narendra Modi government and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should have thought about it a decade ago and said that focusing on the need to prioritise every sector.
"BJP should have thought about it 10 years ago that we need always to be worried about the interests of our farmers, agriculture, and dairy products, and we should focus on each and every sector on a priority basis. When industries end, farmers get ruined, and there's no employment for youth. Where is our country heading?" he said.
"The people who claimed that India has good relations with every country in the world, and there is hardly any country where India and Indians are not respected, these statements from the government now are unfortunate," Yadav added.
These reactions came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asserted that farmers remain India's top priority and that the country would never compromise their interests.
"For us, the interest of our farmers is our top priority. India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers. I know we will have to pay a heavy price for it, and I am ready for it. India is ready for it," PM Modi said while addressing a gathering at the MS Swaminathan Centenary International Conference.