• Source:JND
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Amid ongoing protests by farmers at the Delhi-Noida border, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday raised concerns over the lack of dialogue with the protesting farmers. He also questioned Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan about the status of the promises that had been made to the farmers in the past.

Speaking at an event in Mumbai, Dhankhar said, "Can we create a boundary between the farmer and the government? I do not understand why there is no dialogue with the farmers. My concern is why this initiative has not happened so far.”

"Agriculture Minister, I have some pain. It is a concerning and thoughtful subject for me. Why this initiative has not happened so far? You are the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. I am reminded of Sardar Patel, and his responsibility to unify the nation, which he did so excellently. You have a similar challenge before you today. It should not be considered any less than the unity of India," Dhankhar further said.

Highlighting the issues of farmers, Dhankhar asked Shivraj, "Was the promise made to the farmers? If the promise was made, then why was it not fulfilled?"

However, Congress criticized Dhankhar's statement by raising questions about his actions when the controversial farm laws were introduced in the country.

"Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has just woken up. 700 farmers have died and when the farm laws were brought, farmers were protesting outside Delhi. At that time also, he was the Vice President. He should have cared about those farmers and should have gone to meet them," Congress MP Manickam Tagore said. 

Vice President Dhankhar’s remarks came as thousands of farmers from Uttar Pradesh staged a protest at the Delhi-Noida border after being halted during their Delhi Chalo march. The farmers warned that they would continue their march to the national capital if their demands regarding land compensation and other commitments were not fulfilled within seven days.