Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh Slams PM Modi’s ‘Studied Silence’ on Key Issues

The Congress Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of maintaining "studied silence" on issues that matter and targeted him over the lack of a Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee for farmers and the allegations of sexual harassment leveled against a BJP MP by women wrestlers. 

The opposition party's criticism came just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Haryana on Monday. Modi was scheduled to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for various development projects in the state.

प्रधानमंत्री आज हरियाणा में हैं। उन्होंने कई महत्वपूर्ण मुद्दों पर सोची-समझी चुप्पी साध रखी है, लेकिन हरियाणा के लोग निम्न मुद्दों पर उनसे जवाब चाहेंगे:

• बिना विचार-विमर्श और उचित परामर्श के मोदी सरकार द्वारा शुरू की गई अग्निपथ योजना ने हरियाणा के लोगों को हताश और निराश कर…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 11, 2024

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, The Prime Minister is in Haryana today. Despite his studied silence on the issues that matter, the people of Haryana are hoping to hear his opinion on the following: The Agnipath scheme, introduced by the Modi Sarkar without adequate consultation or thought, has outraged the people of Haryana - a state which has produced large numbers of India's bravest soldiers.

Ramesh alleged that the scheme compromises national security by demoralizing the armed forces and rushing through training for servicemen in a mere six months. He further claimed that potential Agniveer recruits are dissatisfied by the loss of prestige and economic security resulting from the scheme. Questioning the efficacy of the program, Ramesh asked whether the Modi Government would revert to the older model of recruitment.

He highlighted that thousands of farmers in Haryana and neighboring states have been protesting for the past month against what they perceive as the indifferent attitude of the Modi government towards farmers' issues. Ramesh stated that their demands include granting legal status to MSP and implementing the Swaminathan Commission's formula for determining MSP. Notably, Ramesh pointed out that the Congress has promised to fulfill these demands as part of its Kisan Nyay agenda.