Aiming to reap political mileage out of the recent killing of farmers in Mandsaur (Madhya Prasad) and growing unrest amongst cultivators in other states, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi exhorted party cadres in Uttar Pradesh to come out and join the farmers in their struggle for justice and survival.
“Our leader and vice- president Rahul Gandhi has always fought for farmers’ cause and the rural populace. This time too, Gandhi has dedicated himself for the same after the Mandsaur incident. Hence we whould go to the farmers and take up their cause before the BJP government in UP,” stressed state Congress chief Raj Babbar in a letter sent to all district and city presidents on Monday.
In the letter, Babbar said that as per Rahul’s directions, district leaders should contact farmers and their organisation in respective areas and start a decisive agitation against the government in a democratic manner.
“You must all be aware that both governments - at the Centre as well as in UP, are ‘anti-farmer’, hence Congress leaders should lead the stir in their areas so that farmers get respite from their problems,” Babbar wrote.
The Congress is trying to recover from its electoral debacle in the recent Assembly poll in UP. In the run up to the poll, it had successfully organised ‘kisan khaat sabha’ but failed to get the support after its alliance with Samajwadi Party. “At present, the party wants to rekindle its old connect with farmers and rural populace by raising farmers’ issues. In a way, the stir would be an extension of ‘kisan khaat sabha’ which was led by Rahul Gandhi in the state,” said UPCC chief Raj Babbar recently. Two days ago, Babbar had visited Mandola in Ghaziabad to meet farmers injured in police action while protesting. He had visited the hospital where the injured peasants were recovering and promised his party’s support to them. Rahul Gandhi has directed Babbar to ask district units chiefs and village-level workers and leaders to be the first in reaching out to farmers whenever they were in trouble and put forward their demands to the state government. “More than three crore farmers are feeling cheated by the BJP government in the state. While promises of loan waivers were made, nothing has been done at ground level as the government is struggling to mobilize funds,” Babbar said adding that even recent announcement of loan waiver upto Rs 1 lakh by the Yogi government has remained confined to papers.