Chandigarh, Nov 29 (PTI) Opposition parties on Wednesday hit out at Haryana Agriculture Minister J P Dalal alleging that he made controversial remarks about farmer leaders who had taken part in the agitation against the now-repealed farm laws.

The opposition Congress said Dalal should apologise for his remarks. Some farmer leaders also slammed the BJP leader for his remarks and demanded that the chief minister sack him.

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A video of Dalal purportedly making the remarks at an event in Bhiwani district on Sunday surfaced on social media on Wednesday.

In the video, Dalal is heard saying in Hindi that "a few people used to sit here...some were facing criminal cases...some committed wrong actions. Some had their wives eloping with others...even their wives would not listen to them and yet they were taking responsibility of the entire farming community."

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Senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday condemned Dalal's remarks.

In a statement here, the former Haryana chief minister said people holding responsible positions should be careful while making statements.

"Indian culture and the culture of Haryana teach us that all sisters and daughters are respectable for us. But making derogatory comments about women to vent out political frustrations is unacceptable," Hooda said.

The minister should immediately apologise for his statement, he said.

When contacted over phone, Dalal said he was unaware on which specific issue the opposition was targeting him. He added, "I never say anything against farmers."

Hooda, meanwhile, alleged that Dalal has made "insensitive statements" towards the farmers earlier too.

"Repeatedly making shameful remarks towards farmers and their leaders shows the frustration of those in power. Due to this attitude of the government, the BJP and the JJP have lost respect before the people," he alleged.

Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader from Haryana Ashok Tanwar alleged that during the stir against the farm laws whenever the farmers in the state raised their voice for their rights, the BJP government "used lathicharge to crush the voice of the farmers".

"And now they are insulting the women of farmer families," Tanwar said in a statement.

Tanwar said Dalal should immediately withdraw his "absurd statement and apologise to the farmer families".

In Jind district, some farmers burned an effigy of Dalal on Wednesday.

Some farmer leaders from the district demanded that Dalal be sacked by the chief minister for his remarks.

(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)