New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday stepped up its attack on the BJP over its MP Kangana Ranaut's remarks calling for bringing back the three farm laws, demanding that the actor-politician be expelled by the ruling party if it does not agree with her remarks.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday slammed the BJP over Ranaut's remarks calling for bringing back the three farm laws that were repealed in 2021 and said the poll-bound states, including Haryana, would give a befitting reply to the ruling party.

Ranaut on Wednesday withdrew her remarks calling for bringing back the three farm laws and said those were her personal opinions and did not represent the party's stand.

The actor-politician said she must remember that she is not only an artiste but also a BJP member now and her statements should be in line with her party's policies.

The Congress on Tuesday shared on X a video in which she said in Hindi, "Farm laws that have been repealed should be brought back. I think this may get controversial. The laws in farmers' interest be brought back. Farmers should themselves demand this (to bring farm laws back) so that there is no hindrance to their prosperity.

"Farmers are a pillar of strength in India's progress. Only in some states, they had objected to farm laws. I appeal with folded hands that farm laws should be brought back in the interest of farmers," she had said.

In an apparent response to Ranaut's remarks, Kharge said, "Even after the martyrdom of 750 farmers, the anti-farmer BJP and Modi government did not realize their grave crime! There is talk of re-implementation of the three black anti-farmer laws. The Congress Party strongly opposes this."

The 62 crore farmers will not forget that the Modi government crushed the farmers under a vehicle, used barbed wire, teargas from drones, nails and guns against them.

"This time, poll-bound states, including Haryana, will give a befitting reply to insulting remarks, calling farmers 'andolanjeevi' and 'parasites', hurled by the prime minister himself in Parliament," the Congress chief said in a post in Hindi.

"Due to Modi ji's statements, his ministers, MPs and propaganda machinery have become habituated to insulting the farmers," he alleged.

"In 10 years, the Modi government has broken three promises made to the country's food producers'“ doubling the income of farmers by 2022, implementing input cost + 50% MSP as per the Swaminathan Report and legal guarantee for MSP," Kharge said.

"When the farmers' agitation was withdrawn, Modi ji had announced a government committee, which is still in cold storage. The Modi government is against the legal guarantee of MSP," he alleged.

No relief was given to the families of the farmers who died and the Modi government did not even consider it appropriate to observe two minutes of silence in their memory in Parliament, Kharge alleged.

On top of that, their character assassination is going on continuously, he added.

The whole country has come to know that "anti-farmer hateful mindset" is present in every part of the BJP, the Congress president said.

Asked about Ranaut's remarks, Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said, "She is not an RSS-BJP worker, she got a ticket at the behest of PM Modi. So when she speaks, PM Modi should condemn this. Why hasn't he condemned it?"

"More than 750 were martyred and this is an insult to those martyred. If I make a serious statement which is not in line with my party, the party would expel me, has the BJP expelled her? If you do not agree with her remarks, why are you not expelling her?" he said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters here.

"Your (the BJP) intentions are visible that you want to bring back the farm laws that is why you get statements made by your minions. So it is my demand that the BJP should expel her and if it does not do that, the loud and clear message is that Modi and the BJP are insulting the memory of the martyred farmers, they are insulting farmers and he wants to benefit his friends to bring back the three farm laws," Gohil said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Congress had cited Ranaut's remarks on the farm laws to allege that the ruling party was making efforts to bring back the three laws that were repealed in 2021 and asserted that Haryana would give a befitting reply to it.

In a post in Hindi along with the video, the Congress had said, "The three black laws imposed on the farmers should be brought back: BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has said this. More than 750 farmers of the country were martyred, only then did the Modi government wake up and these black laws were withdrawn."

Now the BJP MPs are planning to bring back these laws, the Congress had alleged.

"The Congress is with the farmers. These black laws will never return, no matter how hard Narendra Modi and his MPs try," the opposition party had said on X.

The three laws -- Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act -- were repealed in November 2021.

The farmers' protest started at the fag-end of November 2020 and ended after Parliament repealed the three laws. The legislations came into force in June 2020 and were repealed in November 2021.

 

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Mumbai (PTI): The rupee appreciated by 23 paise to 94.95 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday as Brent crude prices retreated from their elevated level after US President Donald Trump hinted at a possible deal with Iran.

Forex traders said oil prices fell to USD 108 per barrel, as signs of easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East offset the lingering supply concerns.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 95, then gained some ground and touched an early high of 94.95, registering a gain of 23 paise from its previous low.

The rupee was later trading at 95.10 against the greenback.

On Tuesday, the rupee settled at 95.18 against the US dollar, after witnessing an all-time intraday low of 95.44 on Tuesday on possible RBI intervention after investors retreated from riskier assets amid renewed clashes in the Gulf and targeting of UAE infrastructure, which reignited supply chain fears.

The rupee, which fell to its all-time low of 95.44 on Tuesday, gained this morning as Gift Nifty indicated a positive opening of 200 points, said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.

The dollar Index fell to 98.30, and Asian currencies rose against the dollar this morning in Asian trade, after Trump hinted at a possible deal with Iran, Bhansali added.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 98.28, down 0.16 per cent.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading lower by 1.32 per cent at USD 108.42 per barrel in futures trade, after Trump paused Operation Freedom.

President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.

In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”

Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday, and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.

However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.

On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 657.22 points to 77,675.01 in early trade, while the Nifty rallied 218 points to 24,250.85.

Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 3,621.58 crore on Tuesday, according to exchange data.