BJP MP Jangra under fire for 'calling' farmers drug peddlers, butchers

BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana Ram Chander Jangra has come under fire from various quarters for reportedly referring to farmers as "drug peddlers" and "butchers".

Addressing a gathering during the inauguration of the cane-crushing season of the Meham mill in Rohtak district on Thursday, Jangra had stated that peddlers from Punjab had spread drug menace in Haryana during the farmers' stir at Haryana-Delhi border in 2021.

The BJP leader had also alleged that nearly 700 girls had gone missing from villages along the Haryana-Delhi border during and after the agitation, for which he blamed the agitators.

His statements are being circulated on social media.

Contacted for comments, the BJP leader maintained that he had been misquoted by mischievous elements, including certain reporters, who were airing modified versions of his actual speech. "I had stated during my speech that drug peddlers from Punjab had spread drug menace in Haryana by taking advantage of the farmers' agitation. A person was murdered and his body was hung along a road, and I referred to the butcher's expression in this context," he clarified.

Questioned about the allegation of 700 girls having disappeared from villages along Haryana-Delhi borders, Jangra stated that a number of factories had closed down due to the long agitation and hundreds of girls employed in those factories had become victims of human trafficking.

"I have never levelled any allegation against the farmers. Farmers produce food-grains for 140 crore citizens of our country and are the largest contributors to the country's GDP," he said.

The MP asserted that he had advised the farmers not to get misled by vested interests and to stay away from agitations that hamper progress as well as social harmony.