Rahul Gandhi seeks to turn heat on Modi government, will address farmers in Mandsaur on June 6

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address a rally of farmers in Mandsaur of Madhya Pradesh on June 6. This was the day seven farmers had died in a police firing in 2017.

"Every day, about 35 farmers commit suicide in our country. To attract government's attention towards the agrarian crisis, farmers are forced to protest for 10 days. To stand with them in the fight for the rights of our 'Annadata' (food provider), I will address a farmer`s rally in Mandsaur on June 6," he tweeted.

हमारे देश में हर रोज़ 35 किसान आत्महत्या करते हैं। कृषि क्षेत्र पर छाए संकट की तरफ़ केंद्र सरकार का ध्यान ले जाने के लिए किसान भाई 10 दिनों का आंदोलन करने पर मजबूर हैं। हमारे अन्नदाताओं की हक की लड़ाई में उनके साथ खड़े होने के लिए 6 जून को मंदसौर में किसान रैली को संबोधित करूंगा। pic.twitter.com/Bv4Hv72jE8

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 2, 2018

Farmers in the agrarian states of Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan on Friday joined the 10-day protest call given by various farmer organisations in Madhya Pradesh. 

Protesting farmers dumped vegetables, milk and other farm produce on roads and blocked supplies to cities in several states as they launched a 10-day agitation to press their demands, including loan waiver and right price for crops. Farmer organisations also called for boycott of mandis or wholesale markets in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Mahrashtra, leading to fears of shortage and price rise.

Meanwhile, Union Minister and BJP leader Prakash Javadekar on Saturday said the agitation will stop once his government announces the support prices for crops. "They will get to understand when the prices will be declared. The agitation will stop then," he said in Kolkata.

Javadekar added that the Narendra Modi government's plan was to provide a "long-lasting" solution to the issue. "I will not try to comment. I don`t want to subscribe (to) motives now for farmers` agitation. People are seeing it and people are responding to it," he told reporters at the Press Club here when asked if he sensed any political agenda in the protests, as per IANS.

Asked if the protests would affect BJP`s prospects in the upcoming polls, Javadekar said, "Elections are coming up in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Ours is a democratic country. We don`t oppose anybody agitating. We are giving the solution which will be long-lasting and which will empower farmers."

(With Agency inputs)