India News | Lekhi Slams Protesting Farmers

New Delhi, Jul 22 (PTI) Union minister and BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi on Thursday denounced farm union bodies protesting against three contentious farm laws as "mawali" (ruffian) after she was asked about incidents of alleged violence during their protests.

After a reporter referred to "farmers" attacking a camera person when he was covering their protests at Jantar Mantar, she said, "You should stop calling them farmers because they are not farmers. They are playing in the hands of some conspirators. Farmers don't have time to sit in Jantar Mantar. They are working in their farms. Middlemen are behind them (protestors) who do not want farmers to get benefits."

She also cited the violent incidents in the national capital during farmers' protest on January 26, and said these protestors should not be called farmers.

Replying to another question about the attack on the camera person, who work with a leading Hindi news channel, and also the January 26 incidents, she said, "You are calling them farmers again. They are mawali."

She said such attacks are criminal incidents whose cognisance should be taken.

The cameraperson was injured after he was allegedly attacked by a freelance journalist on Thursday at Jantar Mantar where the farmers are protesting against the new agri laws, police said.

The cameraperson has been identified as Nagendra Gosain, police said.

A senior police officer said Gosain was attacked by Prabhjot Singh, a freelance journalist.

Gosain said Singh was abusing mediapersons in the morning and was also recording it. Singh also used foul language against a woman journalist, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)