VARANASI: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today told her party workers that the party will keep fighting for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence until and unless the Union minister of state for home, Ajay Kumar Mishra whose son Ashish has been arrested in connection with the case, resigns from his post.

Priyanka was addressing a 'Kisan Nyay' rally in Varanasi which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, days after eight people, including four farmers one journalist and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker were killed in the violence.

She said that the prime minister travels across the world and the country but does not have any time to talk to farmers protesting over the Centre's contentious farm laws for close to a year now adding that only BJP leaders and their 'billionaire friends and nobody else was safe in the country.

The Congress leader also accused the BJP led government of shielding Ashish. "The son of the Union Minister of State for Home crushes the farmers under his car and drives away and the government was trying to save him, and then they invite a murder accused of interrogation, does it happen anywhere in the world," she said.

Ashish was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police on Saturday after a marathon grilling session in connection with the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, where it is alleged that a vehicle, reportedly owned by Ajay, mowed down protesters in Tikunia village. 

Farmers allege that Ashish Mishra was in the lead car that ran over people. The junior home minister and his son deny the allegation.

During her speech, Priyanka also mentioned the past incidents of Sonbhadra, Hathras and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh and alledged that in all three incidents, people associated with the BJP were involved, and in all cases instead of taking immediate action, the BJP government in the state tried to protect the accused.

Priyanka alleged, "The PM who calls himself a 'Gangaputra' son of the Ganga has insulted crores of 'Gangaputras' by hatching a conspiracy to give their crops and income to his billionaire friends, Priyanka alleged adding that under the BJP government in the centre as well as in-state everyone including farmers, Dalits and women are feeling harassed.