In a video that is widely shared on social media, Haryana Agriculture Minister JP Dalal is allegedly heard responding to a media inquiry regarding the deaths of more than 200 farmers during the ongoing upheaval and commenting that they have died. even if they had stayed home. .
Hours after his comments unleashed a storm, Dalal said his statement had been misrepresented on social media and attributed a “wrong meaning.” “If anyone is harmed by it, I offer my apologies,” he said, adding that he would continue to work for the well-being of farmers. He reiterated that it is painful if someone dies.
However, in his controversial comment made earlier while speaking to the media in Bhiwani on Saturday, Dalal said: “Yeh ghar mein hote, toh bhi marte. Yahan nahi mar rahe kya? Meri baat sun lo, lakh do lakh mein se do sau che maheene main nahi marte kya? Koi heart attack ho ke mar gaya, koi bukhar ho ke mar gaya (If they had been in their homes, they would have died there too. Listen to me, one to two lakh, don’t 200 people die in six months? Someone is dying of a heart attack and someone after getting sick. “
He had added: “Mujhe ek cheez bata do ke hindustan ki average age itni hai, aur saal mein kitne marte hain. Naagrik ka jahan tak mudda hai, mare hue ke prati meri hardik samvedna hai, 135 crore ke prati samvedna hai, bharat ek hai, bharat ke har nagrik ko haq ek hai (Tell me one thing: what is the average age in India and How many die in a single year? As for any citizen, my condolences go out to those who have died. My sympathy is there with 135 million rupees of people. India is one, and all its citizens have the same Rights “.
Responding to media inquiries about how farmers lost their lives during the upheaval on the Delhi borders, Dalal added in the video: “Yeh accident se nahi mare na, swecha se mare hain… mare hue ke prati meri poori poori hardik samvedna hai (They did not die by accident. They died of their own free will. My condolences go to those who have died). “
Congressional leader Randeep Singh Surjewala attacked Dalal for his comments, saying such a statement can only be made by an “insensitive” person.
“Only an insensitive and uneducated person can use such words for annadata who are fighting for their demands. But, nevertheless, they are not ashamed. Haryana Agriculture Minister JP Dalal, who had previously called on Pakistani and Chinese farmers, should be removed from the state Council of Ministers. “
The head of the Haryana Congress, Kumari Selja, also criticized Dalal for his statement. “This reaction and the laughter from the Haryana agriculture minister about the sacrifice of our fellow farmers is very sad,” he said in a tweet. The leader of the Punjab Congress, Raj Kumar Verka, also demanded the removal of Dalal from the Haryana cabinet for his “insensitive” comments.
With PTI inputs
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