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Rahul attacks Modi over migrants
At Sonepat rally, says BJP taking credit for Congress achievements
Dharmendra Joshi & BS Malik

Gannaur (Sonepat), Feb 24
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today said the BJP was a party centred around an individual whereas the Congress believed in decentralising power. He said the BJP was taking credit for achievements made by Congress over the years.

Rahul was addressing farmers who had gathered from across the country at Gannaur in Sonepat. Earlier, he sought farmers’ inputs for the Congress manifesto for the parliamentary elections.

Without naming Modi and the Sikh farmers settled in Kutch, Rahul said some farmers were outsiders for a political party, but for the Congress, everyone was an insider.

"For us, everyone is an insider. Even an Indian living in the US is an insider. For them, a ‘UP wallah’ in Maharashtra is an outsider, a Sikh in Gujarat is an outsider, someone from Haryana in Punjab is an outsider," he said.

"In India, you go to any place, for us, you are an insider... Wherever they go, they make somebody an insider and someone else an outsider, this is their politics. This is the difference between them and us." He was referring to the decision of the administration in Gujarat to freeze land rights of Sikh farmers in the Kutch region.

Rahul said his father Rajiv Gandhi was dubbed as a "computer boy" for his push to computerisation. "Top leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani made fun, questioning how computers would help India. Then, 15 years after Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, Vajpayee and Pramod Mahajan said they had always talked about computerisation,” the Congress vice-president said. “Now, they have picked up (Vallabhbhai) Patel," he said in an apparent jibe at Modi's decision to construct a gigantic statue in Gujarat.

He said, "After a few years, they (BJP) will claim credit for Food Security Bill, MNREGA and others...White revolution was done by Congress, BJP in Gujarat says they've done that.”

Rahul said if the Congress again was voted to power, he would leave no stone unturned to make agriculture a profitable profession.

Earlier, the farmers during their interaction with the Congress vice-president raised many farmer-related issues. Their main suggestions included the implementation of the recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission, inclusion of agriculture in the Concurrent List and conversion of negative subsidy into positive subsidy.

Bhupinder Mann, a former RS member and BKU leader from Batala, suggested that a Provident Fund Scheme for farmers with contribution from the farmer, state government and the Centre be included in the manifesto.