Latest news - Rahul Gandhi facilitates agitating farmers meeting with PM

Latest news - Rahul Gandhi facilitates agitating farmers meeting with PM

Undeterred by his arrest by Mayawati government for espousing the cause of oppressed farmers of UP at Bhatta Parsaul, Rahul Gandhi, AICC General Secretary today evening once again came forward to facilitate the farmers meeting with the Prime Minister.
"I am very concerned with what is going on in villages of Noida. Severe atrocities took place. People were killed and raped. We discussed it," said Rahul, after meeting the Prime Minister.
"They wanted to meet the PM, so I facilitated this," the Congress General Secretary said. He told that women have been raped and that there is a pile of ashes 70 feet high in the villages of Parsaul and Bhatti. "Severe atrocities are taking place there," he told the reporters.

Last week Rahul Gandhi had reached out to the beleaguered farmers in Bhatta Parsaul village in Greater Noida to know their problems. He moved from house to house to get first hand information. He heard the woeful tales of atrocities committed by the police on the farmers and their families including their women. He saw severe injuries inflicted on the innocent farmers. He had then promised to continue to fight for their cause.
The farmers are agitating for higher compensation for land taken for constructing the 156-km Yamuna Expressway that is to link New Delhi with Agra. Farmers claim that the UP government forced them to sell their land for the project. However, they say that much of the land surrounding the highway is being sold at very high rates to real estate developers who want to put up malls and industrial as also residential projects there. Farmers claim that while the government and the developers will make a significant profit, they have been cheated of their due share.
The BSP government remaining apathetic for long towards the genuine demands of the farmers the state police had free to deal with the agitation which in its attempt to quell it fired upon the peaceful agitators that lead the killing of four persons.
The agitation against fraud in land acquisition is gathering force. Opposition parties are accusing chief minister Mayawati's government of harassing farmers. This has forced the Congress to take centre stage to help the aggrieved farmers.
Today evening Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with Prime Minister was to highlight the pathetic situation of farmers in Greater Noida who claim their land is being forcibly acquired by Mayawati's government in UP. He was accompanied by some of the aggrieved farmers.

Rahul said, "We are confident that the Land Acquisition Bill will be passed in the next session of Parliament. We are committed to the (Land Acquisition) Bill. It's a complicated Act.,” he said.

We have seen ashes of dead bodies of 74 villagers. We have visuals. The UP government's atrocities are continuing. Most poor people want development.

The PM listened quite patiently to us, Rahul Gandhi said.