M A I N   N E W S

Farmers find a new messiah in Rahul
Tripti Nath
Tribune News Service

‘Why doesn’t he help poor?’ “There are only two members in the Lok Sabha who never speak extempore. One is Sonia Gandhi and the other is her son.” — V.K. Malhotra, deputy leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha “If it is so (that the poor do not have a voice), why doesn’t he come forward to help the poor?” — D. Raja, CPI leader

New Delhi, March 13
Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP from Amethi and scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family, today sought more relief for farmers by way of flexibility in land ceiling and a localised cut-off date to enable farmers to benefit from the loan waiver scheme.

Reading out a speech while participating in the discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha this afternoon, Rahul drew attention to the dry land areas in Vidarbha where the current ceiling of two hectares for eligible farmers did not account for land productivity.

“This excludes deserving farmers in poorly irrigated areas. I have discussed the scheme with several experts. Perhaps we could consider making the land ceiling variable based upon land productivity.” he said.

His suggestion for localised cut-off dates was accompanied by thumping of desks by UPA members. Rahul also drew the attention of the House to cropping cycles in some parts of the country which necessitated taking out bulk of loans after the cut-off date of March 31, 2007.

“A single cut-off date unfairly penalises farmers in these regions,” he observed.

Recognising the government’s historic decision to lend its ears to the plea of debt-ridden farmers by giving freedom to 40 million of the poorest farmers from the bonds of indebtedness, the Congress MP said, “The decision has corrected a grave injustice and given our small and marginal farmers the ability to look to the future with hope.”

Focusing on disparity in Indian society, Rahul stressed the need for bridging the gap between the voiceless and the empowered citizens. “A small resource-rich section of India cannot grow indefinitely while a vast disempowered nation looks on. If opportunity is limited to a few, our growth will be a fraction of our capability as a nation,” he said.

Poverty alleviation has been one of the favourite themes of the Nehru-Gandhi family and the third-generation politician took care to address the concerns of the poor. “The poverty of our people is an assault on our principles. Freedom from poverty is not a matter of charity or luck. It is a right.”

Complimenting the Prime Minister and the finance minister for a “landmark” Budget, Rahul said, “The true magnitude of our economic potential will only be realised when the voices of the empowered and the aspiring speak as one. This is the core of our ‘Aam Aadmi’ agenda.”

Giving credit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for India’s economic growth of 8.8 per cent, Rahul observed that the speed and continuity of “our economic growth depends on inclusion.”

Rahul said a host of government programmes would be better implemented if fund transfers were linked to achieving RTI (Right to Information) and social audit objectives. He urged the finance minister to put Panchayati Raj Institutions at the centre of programme implementation and consider budgetary provisions and incentives to encourage states to build Self-Help Group networks that comprehensively covered the poor.

The young brigade, mostly second-generation politicians like Sachin Pilot, Dependra Hooda, Jatin Prasad and Naveen Jindal were all ears to Rahul’s measured speech. So was his mother, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

‘No breach of security’

Rahul Gandhi today brushed aside allegations of breach of security rules during his visit to Orissa last week.

“I know the concerns of security. I don’t need the permission of the SPG or the police to meet people. My intention was to remove the distance between the leader and the people,” he told mediapersons shortly after the matter was raised in the Lok Sabha by BJD member B.K. Tripathi. The issue led to a verbal duel between the UPA and the NDA.