Rahul Gandhi raises poll stakes in Punjab with loan waiver, MSP law promise

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, May 25

Hours after casting his vote along with his mother Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi, former Congress president and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi accused BJP leaders, including PM Narendra Modi, of planning to change the Constitution after forming the government for the third term in a row. Rahul made these remarks while addressing a rally at Mirankot village here. He also promised to waive all loans of farmers and enact a law to ensure MSP for various crops, if the Congress formed the government at the Centre.

Modi had termed farmers ‘terrorists’

PM Modi had termed farmers of India, especially those from Punjab, as terrorists while they were protesting against the three farm laws at Delhi borders. He can afford to waive Rs 60 lakh crore loans of 22 billionaires, but can’t do the same for farmers. Rahul Gandhi, former Cong chief

Mirankot village is situated near Ajnala and Attari Assembly segments, which have a sizeable number of voters from the SC and backward communities. Electorates from both segments had come to the rally in large numbers.

Addressing the rally in favour of Congress candidate and incumbent Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Rahul thanked party leaders and workers for attending the rally in the scorching heat (43°C).

“How is your mood?” he said. The mood of Punjabis was the mood of the people across the country, he said. He launched a scathing attack on senior BJP leaders claiming that they were openly claiming to change the Constitution once they formed the government at the Centre.

Striking an emotional chord with the gathering, Rahul said the Constitution incorporated the thoughts and philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev and other saints of India, who insisted on equal status to the entire humanity in their discourses. By its alleged attack on the Constitution, Rahul said, the BJP was attacking the ideology of Dr Ambedkar and those saints. The Congress that was committed to safeguarding the Constitution, he claimed.

Castigating the BJP for introducing the three farm laws that were protested by the farmers of Haryana, Punjab and other states, he alleged PM Modi had termed those protesters as “terrorists”. He wondered how Modi could afford to waive loans worth Rs 60 lakh crore of 22 billionaires, but couldn’t do the same for debt-ridden farmers.

Rahul said when he visited Punjab during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the state’s farmers had asked him certain questions. They told him that the prices of various products were written on the packets, but it was not so for any farm produce.

Rahul promised that the Congress would waive loans of farmers if it formed a government. The party would form a committee to review the loan requirements of farmers, enact a law on guaranteed MSP and restructure insurance scheme for crops, he said.

“The BJP made 22 persons billionaires during their 10-year rule. The Congress will make crores of people ‘lakhpati’. These people will be from economically weak families, unemployed students and women. Each of them will receive Rs 8,500 per month in their accounts,” he said.

“In this way, we are trying to jump start the Indian economy as these people will not spend money overseas, as is the case with 22 billionaires. These people will spend that money for buying clothes, mobiles and other daily-use articles from local markets, which will in turn offer employment to youth.”

Rahul also promised that the Congress would carry out recruitments to the 30 lakh posts lying vacant in various government departments. He ended his speech with the promise of making the Golden Temple an internationally renowned pilgrimage centre.

LoP and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said Punjab had always believed in “Jai Jawan, Jai kisan” (farmers and army men). He accused the BJP of upsetting both these sections with its lopsided policies. Over 700 farmers lost their lives while agitating against the three farm laws, he said. He said the Agniveer scheme would be scrapped after the formation of Congress government at the Centre.