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Bengaluru, Jan. 27 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who speaks of having a 56-inch chest,lacks a heart that can wipe the tears of the poor, senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claimed on Wednesday as he hit out at the Centre over its handling of the farmers' agitation.
Questioning as to what was the intelligence department of the central government doing with regard to violence during the farmers protest in Delhi on Tuesday, the leader of opposition in the state assembly asked it to make it public if terrorists were involved in the protests.
"...it is the failure of the government, farmers are protesting for over two months, they have held 11 rounds of discussions so far.. is 11 rounds required to resolve the issue? "
"Farmers' only demand is that- certain laws are anti- farmer, they are black laws against the farm sector- and they have to be withdrawn," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said farmers have been holding protests for over 60 days despite severe cold weather and some of them have even lost their lives.
"Narendra Modi speaks about having a 56-inch chest, how big the chest is, is not important, within it there should be a heart that can wipe the tears of the poor.Modi doesn't have it. Has he called farmers and spoken to them even once, so far?" Siddaramaiah said.
Modi has made it a prestige issue and does not want to withdraw the legislations, he claimed as he alleged that the government has become a "slave" to big corporates like Ambani and Adani, and the laws were made as dictated by them.
The Samkyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 41 farmer unions, is leading the protest against the three central farm laws at several border points of Delhi.
Violence had broken out during the farmers' tractor parade in the national capital on Tuesday to mark the Republic Day.
Hitting out at state Agriculture Minister B C Patil's alleged statement dubbing farmers' protest as "fight by terrorists", Siddaramaiah termed it as "irresponsible".
"Didn't the government have the intelligence..let them say which all terrorists were involved, no one should speak irresponsibly while talking about farmers.Let them say which all terrorists or those linked to the Khalistan movement are involved," he said.