Congress on Sunday demanded sacking of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra in wake of violence at a farmers' protest in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur-Kheri that left at least six dead and 15 others injured.
Addressing a press conference, party spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said: "We demand that MoS Home Ajay Mishra should be sacked immediately while while government should constitute enquiry by a sitting judge of the Supreme court."
He also called for sacking Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for allegedly giving instructions to the BJP workers to attack farmers while hoping that the apex court will take cognisance of the matter immediately.
Protests on farm laws in the UP district took a violent turn as unidentified persons opened fire at the farmers. Infuriated farmers set three jeeps on fire after some of the protestors were run over by the vehicles. One of the vehicles is said to belong to Ashish Mishra, son of the Union Minister.
In wake of the violence, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the sacrifice of the farmers will not go waste.
"Those who are silent upon witnessing such inhuman genocide, have already died. But we will not go this sacrifice go waste, farmers satyagrah zindabad," he said, in a tweet in Hindi.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, who is expected to head to Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday, in a Hindi tweet, said: "How much does the BJP hate India's farmers? Don't they (farmers) have a right to live? If they raise their voices, will you open fire on them, trample them under vehicles? Enough is enough. This is a land of farmers, not a realm for BJP's cruelty.
"The farmers' agitation will get stronger, and their voice louder".