Rahul leaves for Italy amid farm laws debate

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 27

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday left for Italy on a personal visit even as the debate on the usefulness of farm laws raged and the farmers’ agitation continued.

The Congress sources confirmed Rahul’s travel saying he would be away on a short personal visit.

Back here, BJP president JP Nadda posted an old video of Rahul where he is heard making a case to cut out middlemen from potato marketing.

The video from Lok Sabha shows Gandhi speaking of potato growers in Amethi wondering how a packet of potato chips sells at Rs 10 when the farmer gets only a paltry Rs 2 per kg for the potato he sells.

“We need to weed out the middlemen,” says Gandhi in the video which Nadda posted with a swipe at the Congress leader.

“What’s this magic Rahul ji? Today you are opposing what you were advocating yesterday. You have no concerns for national good or the good of farmers. Your interesting is in playing politics. But your hypocrisy won’t work now. The farmers and the people know your double standards,” Nadda said.

Responding to the tweet, Congress media chief Randeep Surjewala said: “Mr Nadda, before misleading, you should have known there’s no MSP on potatoes. We are farm reforms but the current laws attack the livelihoods of farmers. That’s the question. And also tell us why are you importing ten lakh tonnes of potatoes from abroad while ignoring your own local farmers?”