Farmers short-changed in Budget, says Rahul

Patna, February 3

Congress president Rahul Gandhi today accused the Narendra Modi government of having “short-changed” farmers in the Interim Budget. They could waive industrialists’ loans, but not that of farmers, he alleged.

“The PM has given Rs 10,000 crore to Nirav Modi, but only Rs 17 per day to farmers. Ambani was given a loan of Rs 1 lakh crore, which is sufficient to run three MGNREGA-like schemes,” he said.

“If the Congress came to power, it would immediately waive farm loans, as was recently done in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh. The minimum income guarantee scheme will also be launched for the poor,” he said.

Addressing the party’s “Jan Akanksha Rally” here, Rahul was accompanied by Chief Ministers of Rajasthan (Ashok Gehlot), Madhya Pradesh (Kamal Nath) and Chhattisgarh (Bhupesh Baghel).

He attacked the PM over note ban, unemployment, farmer distress and alleged corruption in Rafale deal. “The entire nation knows that our chaukidar is thief,” he said.

Attacking CM Nitish Kumar, he said “If the Congress was voted to power, Patna University would be granted the status of central university,” he said. — TNS

congress veteran KC Deo quits party 

On the eve of Lok Sabha polls, former minister and ex-member of the Congress Working Committee V Kishore Chandra Deo on Sunday resigned from the party’s primary membership. Deo said: “It was the culmination of what I had been witnessing for the past four years. I felt unwanted in the party. I wrote several notes to Congress president Rahul Gandhi. None of my notes was ever acknowledged.” TNS