Lekhi slams protesting farmers as 'mawali', later retracts

July 22, 2021 22:30

Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Meenakshi Lekhi on Thursday denounced farmers protesting here against the three contentious farm laws as "mawali" (ruffian) after she was asked about incidents of alleged violence during their protests.

As her comments created a furore, Lekhi later tweeted that her comments were "twisted" and that she withdraws her words if they have hurt anyone.

At her press conference in the BJP headquarters, a reporter referred to "farmers" attacking a camera person when he was covering their protests at Jantar Mantar, she said, "You should stop calling them farmers because they are not farmers."

She continued, "They are playing in the hands of some conspirators. Farmers don't have time to sit in Jantar Mantar. They are working in their farms. Middlemen are behind them (protestors) who do not want farmers to get benefits."

She also cited the violent incidents in the national capital during farmers' protest on January 26, and said these protestors should not be called farmers.

Replying to another question about the attack on the camera person, who works with a leading Hindi news channel, and also the January 26 incidents, she said, "You are calling them farmers again. They are mawali."

She said such attacks are criminal incidents whose cognisance should be taken. -- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

LIVE! PM meets Mahabharata, Ramayana's Arabic translator

Govt tweaks poll rule to curb public inspection of...

Based on the recommendation of the Election Commission (EC), the Union law ministry on Friday amended Rule 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict the type of "papers" or documents open to public inspection.

'Pushpa 2' stampede: CM lambast 'inhuman' Allu Arjun

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has criticized Telugu actor Allu Arjun for attending the screening of 'Pushpa-2' despite police permission being denied. Reddy alleges that the actor continued to be present at the cinema hall...

TN temple refuses to return iPhone dropped in 'hundi'

As per the practises and tradition at the temples, any offerings made into the hundial directly goes into the account of the deity of that temple. Rules do not permit the administration to return the offerings back to the devotees, Babu...

Amid Ambedkar row, AAP declares scholarship for Dalits

In the run-up to the assembly elections in Delhi, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal announced an Ambedkar scholarship for free foreign education of the city's Dalit students. The scholarship is a response to the BJP's "insult" of Ambedkar,...