Loan waiver, MNREGA, food security, Niyamgiri: Yes, Rahul Gandhi is back

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The vice-president largely reiterated what he has been saying — that the UPA I’s farm loan waiver had saved the farmers, that it had made substantial hikes in minimum support prices, that the MNREGA had helped rural labourers, that UPA I had got poor food security, and how he had himself intervened to thwart land acquisition in Niyamgiri and Bhatta-Parsaul.

Making it clear that the Congress would remain left of centre, despite it paying no poll dividends for the party so far, Rahul called Modi a “friend” of big capitalists and pro-corporate, and asserted he would fight all attempts to forcibly acquire farm land. “Whatever we did was for the weak and the poor.”

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Congress president Sonia Gandhi said Modi had led people, including farmers, up the garden path before the polls and was bringing anti-farmer policies now. “Enough is enough… We need to tell the Modi government that farmers, labourers and poor have seen through its hollow promises and ploys,” she said.

What was clearer from Sunday’s rally was that the Congress will now target Modi personally. Both Rahul and Sonia repeatedly used the phrase “Modi sarkar” instead of the BJP government in their speeches.

“Wherever there is an attempt to snatch your land, you will find the Congress and its leaders there. You will find me there… This country is of farmers and labourers. Of course, development is needed. There is a need for business, Make in India, manufacturing, industrial corridors… but farmers are also needed. The education of their children is also important. Their future is also important. We don’t want an India where only a handful get everything, fly in aeroplanes and travel in big cars and our farmers are turned into labourers,” Rahul said.

The Congress leader pointed out that the BJP had supported the land acquisition Bill brought by the UPA government in 2013. “Their leaders thumped on the desks when the Bill was passed. What has changed between then and now? Why are they doing it? That is the question… Why is the BJP not listening to the farmers or the poor?… What is their thinking?”

Telling farmers that their land is “gold” — “it will fetch the price of gold in 10-15 years” — Rahul added, “I will tell you how Modi won the elections. He took thousands of crores of rupees as loan from big capitalists. He used it for marketing, Gujarat-model campaigning and advertisements in television channels. How will he repay it? He will pay it back by giving away your land to those capitalists. That is why he wants to weaken the land Act and weaken the farmer.”

The Prime Minister, he alleged, wants to ensure that “farmers don’t get water for irrigation, don’t get fertilisers…. weaken the farmers and then snatch their land and give it to his industrialist friends”.

“That is the Gujarat model. He showed industrialists how easily land can be snatched from farmers in Gujarat. He told those capitalists that if you make me the Prime Minister, I will do what I did in Gujarat in the whole of India,” Rahul said.

“The Modi model is to weaken the foundation, then attach a ladder to the building, paint it bright and show to the world that the building is shining when in fact it has become hollow.”

Referring to the dilution in the land acquisition Act regarding return of unutilised land, he said, “Modi wants to make a land bank and give it to the rich. There will be no Make in India. He wants to weaken you.”

Rahul also attacked Modi for saying he was cleaning up the mess left behind by his predecessors. “He is the Prime Minister of India. I felt sad. He does not understand the strength of the Indian people. They toiled the last 60 years to make India what it is today. The word he used on a foreign soil about India does not behove Modi or the post of the Prime Minister,” he said.

Sonia too said the land acquisition Act was being amended to benefit private companies. There is “a huge gap between the words and deeds” of the Prime Minister and BJP. “Where have those people disappeared who used to make tall promises during elections that there would not be a single suicide by a farmer and the problems posed by moneylenders would be taken care of?” she asked, calling the Modi government anti-farmer and anti-poor.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Yahan se ye sandesh jana chahiye, kisan ki awaaz na dabi hai, na dabehi. – Sonia Gandhi @IndianExpress

— Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

We may be out if power but we will continue making efforts for farmers of the country – Sonia Gandhi @IndianExpress — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

Funds for MNREGA and other schemes have faced heavy cuts. – Sonia Gandhi @IndianExpress — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

Where are the people who claimed during elections that farmers will not commit suicide anymore, — Sonia Gandhi @IndianExpress

— Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

Changes to the Land Act are being brought to mislead farmers and benefit industrialists – Sonia Gandhi @IndianExpress

— Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

Negligible help for farmers by the Modi govt. – Sonia Gandhi @IndianExpress — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

The Modi govt wants to distance you from questions of life and death for farmers -Sonia Gandhi @IndianExpress — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

We have gathered to tell the PM that enough is enough. – Sonia Gandhi @IndianExpress

— Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

Congress will fight for you and win – Rahul Gandhi @IndianExpress #KisanRally — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

We need progress, development and Make in India but we also need the farmers of this country. Congress – Rahul Gandhi @IndianExpress — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

You will see the Congress and me whenever they try to take your land. – Rahul Gandhi @IndianExpress — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

They will take your land and not provide you adequate compensation. – Rahul Gandhi @IndianExpress

— Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

Consent clause was the most important part of the 2013 Land Act. This has been removed. – Rahul Gandhi @IndianExpress

— Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

Gujarat model shows how they snatched away farmers land and now he wants to replicate that – Rahul Gandhi @IndianExpress #KisanRally. — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

Modi won the election by taking money from industrialists. He will pay them back by giving them your land – Rahul Gandhi @IndianExpress — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

“It took two years to put together the Land Aquisition Bill. BJP thumped desks to support it. What has changed now?” pic.twitter.com/JrtMeODBEn — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

What Modi is saying about India abroad does not suit him and the Prime Minister’s office – Rahul Gandhi @IndianExpress — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

When farmers were under debt. Banks had shut their debt. We cleared their debt of 70,000 crores – Rahul Gandhi @IndianExpress — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

Modi has shown many dreams, but the farmers of the country are now aware of his anti-farmer policies – ManmohanSingh @IndianExpress — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh on stage at the #KisanRally @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/sBzLt6OnMw — Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015

Instead of helping the farmers when their crops have been destroyed, BJP is snatching their land – Ghulam Nabi Azad @IndianExpress

— Naveed Iqbal (@NaveedIqbal) April 19, 2015