Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the National Democratic Alliance government of ignoring the plight of farmers who, he said, were reeling under heavy debts and agrarian crisis. He said the government was not willing to discuss their issues even in Parliament.
Addressing a Kisan Aakrosh rally in Banswara, Mr. Gandhi said the government was not just anti-farmer, but it also wanted to extend undue benefits to rich industrialists through “hasty introduction” of Goods and Services Tax (GST).
“The government opens Parliament at midnight for GST, but it won’t talk about farmers’ plight even for a minute,” said Mr. Gandhi, who was presented with a bow and arrow as symbols of the tribal culture of the region. He said the Congress leaders wanted to discuss at length the difficulties faced by farmers in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day, but they were not allowed to speak.
Loan waiver
Mr. Gandhi said the Congress would put pressure on the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Rajasthan to waive farmers’ loans. “In Punjab and Karnataka, the Congress governments did not take time in giving relief to farmers... The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh waived loans under pressure from Congress.”
The Congress vice-president said the party’s leaders in Rajasthan would not let the State government rest until the crop loans were waived. “It is really strange. Small traders, tribals, Dalits, farmers and labourers are important components of our society, but the BJP and the RSS do not pay heed to their voices,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi said the GST implementation had certain deficiencies which would adversely affect small traders.