Gondia (Maharashtra), Nov 12 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched another scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party accusing it of helping the big businessmen but not the poor farmers with loan waivers, here on Tuesday.
Addressing an election rally in Gondia for the Congress-Maha Vikas Aghadi-INDIA bloc candidates, the Congress leader said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written off Rs 16 lakh-crore bank loans of big industrialists, but has not waived the small loans of any farmer in the country.
“The PM claims that the three erstwhile agriculture laws were enacted for the benefit of the farmers. If those black laws were indeed in the farmers’ interest, then why did the farmers take to the streets,” demanded Rahul Gandhi.
He was referring to the three laws that were finally withdrawn in November 2021 after a massive, united nationwide farmers’ uprising that shook up the central government at that time.
Rahul Gandhi listed how the BJP government is not paying appropriate remuneration for soybean, cotton and paddy farmers in Maharashtra, adding to the growing distress in farmlands in Maharashtra, while the PM hobnobbed with industrialists.
Alluding to the MVA-INDIA bloc manifesto released last Saturday, the Congress leader assured that it would find a way to give suitable MSP for the soybean, cotton and paddy farmers, plus other benefits to the tillers.
Training guns on the BJP-RSS, he charged them with making attempts round the clock to finish off the Constitution which contained the wisdom of thousands of years of great personalities like Lord Gautama Buddha, Sant Basaveshwar, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and others.
“The Constitution teaches us equality, respect and love for all religions, people… The BJP-RSS are making all efforts to destroy it… Nowhere does it mention killing people, perpetuating injustice on the poor or atrocities on farmers and others… But, even if a red-coloured copy is displayed, PM Modi, who has not read the Constitution, criticises it,” thundered Rahul Gandhi.
The PM claims he is an OBC but constantly insults the very same community, when the country’s population of OBCs is around 50 per cent, the BJP government spends only five per cent of resources on them.
“The Congress and Opposition are trying to protect and preserve this Constitution. That’s why we are determined to conduct a Caste Census, take steps to remove the 50 limit on quotas…That’s why the BJP is scared,” said Rahul Gandhi.
He reiterated other MVA-Congress ‘Guarantees’ for the Maharashtra elections and mentioned how Congress-ruled states have already implemented them in full steam, covering various sections of the people like women, youth, poor, farmers, unemployed, senior citizens, etc.
“We shall give the maximum to the poor people in the country… We shall give as much money to the farmers as Modi gives to a handful of billionaire industrialists,” vowed Rahul Gandhi.
Speaking at the rally, state Congress President Nana F. Patole said that “there is a wave of anger among the people” against the BJP on multiple fronts that have made it difficult for the poor to survive, while the ruling alliance is busy trampling the Constitution, indulging in corruption and dividing people on caste-religion lines.
Present on the occasion were the MVA candidates contesting in the region, like Rahul Bondre from Chikhli and Rana Dilip Sanada of Khamgaon (both in Buldhana) and and Gopaldas Agarwal in Gondia district, local MPs and other top party office-bearers.
Rahul Gandhi will return to campaign in Maharashtra on November 14 and 16 for a few more rallies and then he is likely to join the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s final rally scheduled in Mumbai early next week, before the November 20 polling.
This afternoon Rahul Gandhi was forced to cancel his rally in Chikhli owing to a technical glitch in his aircraft — for which he tendered an apology — but he stuck to the second rally organised in Gondia this evening.
(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: qnajmi@gmail.com)
–IANS
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