Rahul Gandhi asks PM to meet Punjab farmers; ‘concentrate on Amethi,’ retorts BJP

New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi again took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on Wednesday and accused his government of failing distressed farmers in the country. Gandhi’s speech led to ruckus in the Parliament, leading to an adjournment.

Union food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal immediately retorted asking the Congress vice-president to visit his constituency Amethi instead of Punjab.

Taking a jibe at Modi on his visits abroad, Gandhi said, “The PM is visiting India, let him also visit Punjab and see the situation for himself.”

"Alleviate their pain, they are crying and your government has done nothing," Rahul said.

Read: Rahul Gandhi targets Modi, says farmers contribute more to Make In India

Gandhi, who is just back from Punjab, said, “Farmers are crying in mandis, they are in pain. And your minister says farmers committing suicide are cowards, criminals.”

Haryana Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar on Wednesday said, “Suicide is a crime as per Indian law and farmer committing suicide are cowards.”

He further said the government could not support farmers who commit suicide, as they were criminals under the law. Farmers who commit suicide are running away from their responsibilities and leaving their families and children with liabilities, he has said.

Read: Farmers who commit suicide are cowards, criminals, says Haryana minister OP Dhankar

Earlier in the day, Gandhi slammed Modi's 'Make in India' campaign, saying that farmers contribute the maximum to this initiative. Gandhi added that 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.

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.

Read: After Kedarnath trip, Rahul Gandhi take train to Punjab

"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.

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.

Read: Rahul Gandhi’s next stop Vidarbha, to hold 'padyatra' tomorrow

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.