Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh), Mounting a strong attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s on issues concerning farmers and youth, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday promised to waive farm loans in 10 days if his party is voted to power in Madhya Pradesh.
Launching the Congress campaign in the state where the party is seeking to oust the BJP in elections slated at the end of the year, he also promised that the families of farmers who were killed here on this day last year will get justice in 10 days if his party wins.
“I assure you, when the Congress forms government in Madhya Pradesh, farmers’ loans will be written off within 10 days. The families of the farmers (killed in Mandsaur last year) will get justice in 10 days and we will take action against those responsible for the firing,” he said the Kisan Samriddhi Sankalp Rally here.
Gandhi questioned the delay in filing of probe report into the death of six farmers in police firing a year ago, alleging that the BJP government had failed to provide security to farmers and address their concerns.
With Congress having been out of power in the state for the past 15 years, Gandhi sought to energise party workers stating that they will be priority for the party’s government. He asked the state leaders to be seen among people and emphasised that the party was fighting the polls as a united force.
Promising to transform Madhya Pradesh, he said the two main priorities for his party were ensuring proper price to farmers and providing employment to the youth.
“The governments are of no use if they cannot provide security to farmers and their families. I have been told 1,200 farmers committed suicide in Madhya Pradesh. Did any rich person or their family member commit suicide who have lakhs of crores as debt,” he said.
Earlier, Gandhi paid tributes to the dead farmers in Piplia Mandi town of Mandsaur district.
He accused Modi of not fulfilling promises to farmers and the youth.
“Prime Minister waived off loans worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore of just 15 businessmen, but when I requested him to waive off farm loans, he maintained a studied silence.
“The youth were promised Rs 15 lakh each in their account and two crore jobs. Has Modi given even Rs 5? Can anyone in the gathering say that Modi has provided him a job,” he asked.
Gandhi said made in China goods were swamping the market and claimed that even Modi’s mobile phone was of Chinese origin.
“This is India of Narendra Modi. They tell farmers, we will not waive your loans, they tell youth, we will not give you employment. We want that farmers should get respect and their children get employment.”
He also said five years from now, mobile phones should be made in Mandsaur. “This cannot be done by Modi and (Chief Minister) Shivraj Singh Chouhan. It can be done by Kamal Nathji and (Jyotiraditya) Scindiaji and we will show it,” he said.
“We will not tell you our Mann ki Baat. We will listen to you as we respect you.”
Gandhi also accused the Modi government of doing deals with fugitive offenders Vijay Mallaya, Lalit Modi and Nirav Modi, while taking a dig Modi calling scam-accused fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi as “Mehul Bhai” at an event in Delhi earlier.
“Narendra Modi gave Rs 30,000 crore to Nirav Bhai, Mehul Bhai. You could have waived loans of Madhya Pradesh farmers twice with this amount,” he said.
He said UPA government had waived farm loans of Rs 72,000 crore and Congress governments in Punjab and Karnataka had given loan waivers to farmers.
On his party’s proposed measures for farmers, he said: “When Congress comes, there will be a food processing plant in every district. We will create food chains in entire state. Farms will be linked to cities with roads so that you get price of your produce processed in factories.
“We will show how to compete with China. You grow garlic here. In 10 years, we will take this garlic to China’s capital Beijing,” he said.
