Congress Delegation Calls on President, FM says Lakhimpur Incident “Absolutely Condemnable”

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Oct 13: A Congress delegation called on the president Ram Nath Kovind demanding a judicial investigation by two sitting judges of the Supreme Court or High Court into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence that the union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman described as “absolutely condemnable.”

The Congress delegation led by the former party president Rahul Gandhi also demanded immediate dismissal of the union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra whose son Ashish Mishra is the principal accused in the incident in which four farmers and a local journalist were mowed down by the speeding cars and three persons, including two BJP workers were killed in retaliatory violence.

In an attempt to keep the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and killings politically alive, the high level Congress delegation told the President that the “unforgivable and merciless murder of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri” has “scarred the soul of India.”

“This deliberate act of murder, in broad daylight followed by the audacious reactions of the State and Central Governments, has completely eroded the people’s faith in those tasked with bringing these perpetrators to justice,” they said in a memorandum submitted to the President. Besides Rahul Gandhi, the delegation included Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad and the party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Sitharaman, currently on a visit to the United States, in a bid to take an attacking postures when asked a question on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident told a gathering at the Harvard Kennedy School that there were many such Lakhimpur Kheri type incidents occurring in various parts of India on a regular basis but only the incidents where the BJP could be put on the wrong box were being highlighted by a section of the media.

“India has issues of such nature happening in very many different parts of the country equally. I would like you, and many others, including Dr Amartya Sen, who all know India, to raise it at every time when it happens, not just raise it when it suits us because it’s a state where BJP is in power, one of my cabinet colleague’s son is probably in trouble, and also assume that it’s actually them who did it and not anybody else. Due course of justice will also have a complete inquiry process to establish it,” she said.

Her offensive reaction painting India as a killer state where people are being crushed under the wheels on a routine basis came to a question why there was no word on this from the prime minister, senior ministers and why there was a “defensive reaction” when somebody asks questions about such things. “No, absolutely not… It’s nice of you to have picked up that one incident which is absolutely condemnable, every one of us say that. Equally there are instances happening elsewhere, is my concern.”

“And it’s not being defensive about my party or my Prime Minister. It’s being defensive about India. I will talk for India, I will talk for justice for the poor. I will not be mocked at. And if it is mocking, I will be defensive to stand up and say ‘Sorry, let’s talk on facts. That’s my answer for you,” she said.

The Congress delegation also referred to the president the continuing protests by farmer groups on the outskirts of Delhi against the three contentious farm laws and told the President that “the Modi Government has refused to relent or have a meaningful conversation with them (the farmers). Their policy appears to be to “tire & retire” the Anndatas, a strategy doomed to failure.”

“In this context, it is important to note that on September 27th, 2021, the day of the Bharat Bandh called by protesting farmers against the three black laws, Ajay Mishra Teni, MoS Home Affairs, in a public function openly threatened the agitating farmers and even boasted about his dubious antecedents. The video of his speech has been played on different public platforms and is available in the public domain. How can justice be done when the original provocation came from Union MoS Home Affairs himself?” the memorandum said.

“Thereafter, on October 3rd, as farmers carried out their peaceful protests, a cavalcade of vehicles (with two of the cars being owned by the Minister and his family) mowed down four farmers (and a journalist) from behind. It was one of the most gruesome and premeditated acts of bone-chilling murder ever seen and caught on camera. Multiple eyewitnesses have confirmed that the Minister’s son, Ashish Mishra was in the vehicle.”

“As has become the norm, the Uttar Pradesh Government and Police flatly refused to lodge an FIR and then refused to arrest the accused….,” the memorandum said. The Congress leaders wondered “which police official would dare to fairly investigate the son of Union MoS Home Affairs with the father occupying a position of such high influence and who enjoys continued endorsements from both the central and the state governments.”

“In these difficult circumstances, we call upon you as the custodian of our Constitution and the moral compass to this Government to immediately dismiss Union MOS Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni and to direct an independent judicial investigation by a Commission comprising of two sitting judges of the Supreme Court of India or the High Court,” it said.

Gandhi later told reporters that he conveyed to the President that the MoS Home should resign to ensure an impartial probe in the Lakhimpur violence as his son Ashish is an accused in the matter. Asked whether they have received any assurances from the president, Priyanka Gandhi claimed, “he [President] has assured us that he will talk to the government in this regard today itself.”

The Congress memorandum said the situation is unlikely to change without any intervention given that BJP leaders, including U.P. CM Yogi Adityanath, continue to make conciliatory statements towards Minister Ajay Mishra.

“Ajay Mishra’s role is also yet to be investigated and the same is unlikely while he continues in office. In these difficult circumstances, we call upon you as the custodian of our Constitution and the moral compass to this Government to immediately dismiss Union MoS Home Affairs.”

The Congress memorandum also mentions that like crores of other Indians, the President is also “deeply affected” by the “unforgivable and merciless murder” of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri. “The incident has scarred the soul of India. This deliberate act of murder, in broad daylight followed by the audacious reactions of the State and Central governments, has completely eroded the people’s faith in those tasked with bringing these perpetrators to justice,” the party said.

The party hoped that the President will treat this matter with the urgency it deserves and take appropriate action.

About the alleged contentious farm laws the protests against which led to the Lakhimpur incident, Sitharaman claimed that the laws were adopted after detailed discussions with all stakeholders and these were in the making for the last decade or so. Ms Sitharaman said the protesters belong to one state and some parts of other states – “Punjab, Haryana and some parts of western Uttar Pradesh.” She said the government has been saying that it is willing to talk with the protesters and has been engaging with them. But so far the government had not been told “what it is that they’re protesting against as yet and the minister is willing to talk even today.”