Mallikarjun Kharge attacks Modi govt for curbing voice of farmers
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday accused the Modi government of crushing the voice of farmers after failing to fulfil the promises made to them over 10 years.
Kharge's attack against the government came on a day thousands of farmers called for a Delhi Chalo protest and the capital became a virtual fortress with authorities stopping them entering the city.
"Barbed wire, teargas from drones, nails and guns... everything is arranged.
The dictatorial Modi government is trying to curb the voice of farmers," the Congress chief said in a post on X.
"Remember how the farmer was defamed by calling him 'andolanjeevi' and 'parasite' and 750 farmers lost their lives," he said in his post in Hindi.
In 10 years, Kharge said, the Modi government has broken three promises made to food providers of the country. These were, he added, doubling of farmers' income by 2022, implementation of input costs plus 50 per cent in accordance with the Swaminathan report and the grant of legal status to MSP.
Extending full support to the farmers' movement, Kharge said the Congress will today raise the voice of justice to farmers at an event in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh.
" We will not be afraid, will not bow down," Kharge said in his post.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Iran foreign minister Araghchi meets Pakistan Army chief Munir
Islamabad (PTI): Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday met Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir here, as Islamabad continued its efforts to facilitate engagement between the US and Iran.
The meeting, according to a short video posted by the Iranian embassy on social media, was also attended by Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, and Iran's ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam.
Araghchi calls on Munir, the embassy said in the video caption.
It did not provide further details about the discussions.
Araghchi arrived here late Friday for engagements with the Pakistani leadership. He was received by senior officials, including Munir, foreign minister Ishaq Dar and interior minister Mohsin Naqvi.
ALSO READ: Fire engulfs over 100 jhuggies in Delhi's Shakur Basti; no casualties
However, there is no clarity on whether direct talks between Washington and Tehran will take place during the visit.
"No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US. Iran's observations would be conveyed to Pakistan," Baqaei said in a social media post on Saturday.
Araghchi, before leaving for Islamabad, said that he was embarking on a timely tour of Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow, and the purpose of his visits is to "closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments".
"Our neighbours are our priority," he said.
As the Iranian team landed in Islamabad, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US Special Envoy on the Middle East Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's adviser Jared Kushner would be leaving for Pakistan on Saturday "to engage in direct talks" with representatives of the Iranian delegation.
However, the US team has not yet arrived.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar, in a social media post, expressed hope for "meaningful engagements" between the two warring parties to promote regional peace and stability.
The first round of US-Iran talks held on April 11 and 12 failed to produce a breakthrough, prompting a flurry of diplomatic efforts by host Pakistan to cool tensions and revive hopes for another round of dialogue.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The Iran war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes.
_vb_19.jpeg)
