BJP slams Congress over tractor-burning incident near India Gate

New Delhi, Sep 28: The BJP on Monday blasted the Congress over the burning of a tractor near the India Gate here, allegedly by opposition party workers, saying it has "shamed" the country with its "drama" aimed at publicity and "misleading" farmers.

Union minister Prakash Javadekar said the way the protest was held by bringing a tractor in a truck and then setting it afire is condemnable. "The Congress shamed the country today. Bringing tractor in a truck and then burning it at India Gate is a drama enacted by the Congress and we condemn it. The party has been trying to do politics in the name of farmers, and it has been unmasked. It has enacted a drama for publicity," he told reporters about the incident.

Around 15-20 people set a tractor on fire at India Gate on Monday morning, police said. Five people claiming to be members of the Punjab Youth Congress have been detained, they said.

The incident comes amid protests by farmers and opposition parties across the country over the contentious farm legislations that were passed by Parliament last week.

Accusing the opposition party of misleading farmers, Javadekar said its manifesto had promised doing what the Modi government has done with its farm sector reform bills, and added that former prime minister Manmohan Singh had also spoken similarly on the issue.

"Now the Congress is trying to mislead farmers by speaking in a different voice. But it will not succeed," he said, noting that the minimum support price and APMC mechanism is continuing.