Cong stages walkout over farmers' protests in Gujarat

The opposition Congress, on Tuesday, staged a walkout in the Gujarat Assembly after the speaker rejected their request to observe two minutes of silence for the farmers who died during the ongoing farmers' protests. Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani put forth the request after paying tributes to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru on the occasion of Martyr's day. However, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said, "We respect the death of the three Martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country, and we agree with the respect shown to them in the House, but using this to colour it politically should not be allowed." Patel also recounted the firing of 19 farmers during the Congress government in 1987. Following this, Congress staged a walkout.

"I asked the House to observe 2 minutes silence for the deceased farmers, which the House didn't agree with. This is an insult to all the Martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country," Dhanani told the media.

The farmers' protests against the three controversial farm laws passed by the government are ongoing for over a hundred days at Delhi's borders. Several farmers have lost their lives in the period.