Ahead of crucial Bihar polls, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP of ‘polarising’ the country. In his whirlwind tour of Karnataka on Friday to console the families of farmers who committed suicides due to farm crisis Rahul criticised Prime Minister’s remarks on Dadri lynching incident and accused Modi and BJP of “polarising the country” and said “having a “strategy” to make Hindus and Muslims fight with each other”.
Reacting to Modi’s first comments amid communal overtones in the wake of the lynching incident in Uttar Pradesh, where he pitched for communal harmony and brotherhood in the country, Rahul said, “It is nice for the Prime Minister to make such comments. But the Prime Minister has a history and the Prime Minister has a party that is behaving in a completely different way which he doesn’t seem to want to stop.”
Talking to reporters after visiting the families of farmers who had committed suicide in Mandya district, he said “That you can see in every election. There is a polarisation taking place. Riots are taking place. There were BJP people involved in the Dadri incident.”
Referring to spate in farmer’s suicide in Karnataka, Gandhi told newsmen at VC Farm in Mandya, that “the Prime Minister who frequently visits foreign countries, should try to spend some time with farmers of Karnataka.”
He said that when Congress-led UPA Government was in power at the Centre it had reacted positively and had waived off the farmers loan.
“During situation like this where farmers taking extreme step in life due to natural calamity including drought, the Centre should react immediately and positively and come to the rescue of the State Governments irrespective of which party is in power,” he added.
Gandhi said when UPA was in power it viewed farmers as Indian and whether one belonged to Karnataka, Jharkhand or any other State. “Any State that is Congress ruled, they have a different policy. When the UPA was in Government, we viewed Indian farmers as Indian farmers. We did not view them as Karnataka farmers or Bihar farmers or as Jharkhand farmers,” he added.
Stating that the farmers suicide in Karnataka as unfortunate, Gandhi said “Congress Government in the State has worked out strategy to help farmers and prevent from taking extreme step and it would be implemented not only for families of farmers who have committed suicide but for the benefit of all farmers.
Earlier, Gandhi visited some of the families of farmers who had committed suicide recently and gave cheque for Rs1 lakh to the family members of lokesh and Mahesh and assured all help from the State Government for livelihood and education of children.
Gandhi spent about 20 minutes each with families of two farmers who committed suicide in Mandya district. Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and Hasiru Sene members staged a demonstration in front of Sir M Visvesvaraya Statue on Bengaluru-Mysuru highway for not inviting KRRS leaders to Rahul’s interaction with farmers at VC Farm at Panakanahalli. They were taken into custody and later released. BJP workers also protested his visit.
Gandhi also interacted with debt-ridden farmers of the district along with agriculture students at VC Farm for some time and heard their grievances and suggestions. About 150 farmers and 30 students participated in the interactions. The farmers urged the AICC vice-president to advise the State Government for loan waiver for the crop loans particularly sugar cane growers who have been at the receiving end following failure by the mill owners to clear their dues for purchase of sugar cane. They also appealed for more compensations to the farmers families lost their bread earner.
The students wanted a permanent solution for the farmer’s suicides with proper aid from the government during the distress period. The district has recorded a highest 56 farmers committed suicides in the State. So far over 540 farmers have committed suicides across the State which has rattled Siddaramaiah-led Congress Government in Karnataka.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, KPCC president G Parameswara, former MP and film actress Ramya, former Chief Minister SM Krishna, Karnataka in charge Digvijay Singh and other Congress leaders were with Rahul Gandhi.