Rahul Gandhi targets Modi, says farmers contribute more to Make In India
New Delhi: Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' campaign, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that farmers contribute the maximum to this initiative. Gandhi added the government should help the farming community.
"The Prime Minister talks about 'Make in India'. Who contributes more than the farmers from Punjab in 'Make in India'? The poor contributes to 'Make in India', isn't that 'Make in India'? The Central Government should help out the farmers," Gandhi told the media.
"Farmers are the back bone of India. Wherever there is injustice towards the farmers, I will go there, listen to their problems and understand their pain," he added.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi with farmers at Khanna mandi in Punjab (Photo: PTI)
Earlier on Tuesday, the Congress vice-president left for Punjab by train to assess the plight of the farmers.
After meeting the farmers of Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab, Gandhi said that the Land Acquisition Bill is meant to snatch the land away from the farmers to benefit the industrialists.
"I do not know what the government is doing, it is being run by the industrialists and those who make this nation have been ignored. That is why I have come here. The law is being made to snatch the land away from farmers, to benefit the industrialists. The land belongs to farmers and will always be with them," he said.
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi waves at farmers and labourers at Sirhind Dana Mandi at Gobindgarh near Ludhiana (Photo: PTI)
"Farmers of Punjab give their sweat and blood, and food to the nation, and when they need help there is no one to help them. They are not getting the right price, there was hailstorm here and they have not got compensation for that," he added.
The Congress vice-president's visit to Punjab comes at a time when the farmers in the region have accused the government of tardy wheat procurement.
Back from his sabbatical, Rahul is trying to make farmers his new political constituency starting with his Kisan rally in Delhi and later his speech in the Lok Sabha against Modi government's land acquisition bill.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi addressing farmers at Khanna Mandi in Punjab (Photo: PTI)
He is likely to travel to Maharashtra today and undertake a 15-km, day-long padyatra in Amravati division of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra on April 30 to highlight the farmers' plight.
Maharashtra is one of the states that experienced severe agrarian crisis and the Amravati division in Vidarbha region has witnessed many farmer suicides this year.
On Tuesday, Rahul visited the 'mandis' of Sirhind, Gobindgarh and Khanna, which houses the country's largest grain market.
