Union Minister Muraleedharan says some outside forces behind farmers' agitation, urge political parties not to fall for their designs

Hitting out at the opposition parties amid the ongoing farmers' protest, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Sunday said that some of the political parties in the country are trying to "mislead the farmers with fake propaganda" and implement the plan that has been hatched by some forces outside India.

"A lot of information is coming out that in the agitation that is going on, in the guise of farm laws, is planned and implemented by some forces outside the country," Muraleedharan told .

"I can say this agitation, is being utilised to halt the progress of India and to defame the country. So I would request the political parties to not fall into the trap of such designs," he said.

Reacting to the Twitter row over farmers' protest and protest carried out by the youth wing of Congress against cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and athlete PT Usha, he said, "There is an effort going on to insult and demean great nationalist players of the country like Sachin Tendulkar or PT Usha. It is unfortunate that from Kerala, a hundred percent literate state, a state which is politically conscious some hoodlums under the banner of the main opposition party of the country -Congress- are trying to insult such national icons,"

He said that every nationalist and sports loving person should come out against such designs by those people who are against the national interest.

Regarding the Sabarimala issue that has again propped up at the time of assembly polls in the state, Muraleedharan said that the Congress party, which did not do anything when the Kerala government under the CPI(M) took a decision to allow women to Sabarimala, is raising it for "political gains".

"Then Congress was silent. Now they are saying that they will enact a law. What prevented them from protesting, what prevented them from making their stand clear that they were against the Kerala Government decision. Not even a petty case has been charged against Congress workers, none of them have gone to jail," he said.

He said that cases were filed against 55,000 people who belong to Hindu orgsations and it is Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who stood against this state government.

"Congress did not respond. Instead, they said that they would not be part of the agitation, because it is a politically motivated agitation. Now, they are coming out before the people with an aim to using this issue for their political benefits," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )