Continuing his attack on Narendra Modi, particularly on the issues related to farmers, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, accused the prime minister of acting with ‘vengeance’ by cancelling the proposed Food Park in his Parliament constituency. The MP from Amethi, who already took the matter in Parliament, charged Modi of enjoying overseas when the farmers here were fighting for the survival following un-seasonal rains, hailstorm etc. Interestingly Rahul vowed that he would take fight of the farmers both in the Parliament and on street and would not let Bharatiya Janta Party’s government in the centre to succeed in implementing anti-farmers policy.
Giving NDA dispensation “zero out of 10” for its handling of issues involving farmers and labourers, Rahul Gandhi, straight away took-up the issues of withdrawing of food park project in Amethi. “The move of BJP-led government has affected farmers and labourers of Amethi and 10 neighbouring districts. The Centre wanted to take revenge from me, but the move has affected farmers. “Had the food park been set up, it would have changed the fate of farmers. By cancelling it, the Modi government has dealt a blow to farmers. He has snatched it from them and not from me. We will pressure the government to get it back,” Gandhi said in series of corner meeting with the farmers at Jagdishpur and other areas of his constituency on the first day of his three-day visit to his lok Sabha constituency. His attack on the Modi government comes in the wake of Union Minister Smriti Irani’s tour of the Congress pocket borough — where she had unsuccessfully contested against Gandhi in the last lok Sabha election — and her charge that he cared more for a business house than for the farmers of Amethi.
Pointing at the overseas travel which Modi has undertaken, the Congress vice president further said that the prime minister was visiting foreign places while ignoring the plight of farmers and labourers back home. “The PM is visiting foreign countries, but he does not go to the houses of farmers and labourers,” Gandhi said. Gandhi said that he would give “zero out of 10” to the Modi government on its handling of farmers and labourers’ issues.
Talking to reporters at Haidergarh in Barabanki, on his way to Amethi Parliamentary constituency, Gandhi said that even if the industrialists give this BJP government 10 out of 100, the farmers, labourers and common man along with me would give his government a ‘big zero’. The Congress vice-president was given a warm welcome at Haidergarh by Congress Rajya Sabha member and chairman of the National Commission for Schedule Caste (NCSC). Interestingly, Rahul who called Modi’s government as that of ‘suit-boot ki sarkar’, not forget to once again take a dig claiming if only business houses were concerned, he will give Modi full number. “leaving farmers and labourers, if some industrialists and corporate houses are concerned, I will give 10 out of 10 to NDA Government as they were meant only for welfare of the business class,” he added.
At a kisan panchayat at Shankargarh in Tiloi assembly segment, Gandhi said, “Modi government has no emotions for the farmers”. BJP is playing such politics in other states as well like Punjab, Telangana, Maharashtra and Haryana, wherever farmers can be suppressed. “But we will not be cowed down...We will pressure the government to get it back,” he said, amid applause from the farmers, who shouted slogans in support of Gandhi. “land had been allotted. Work was very much underway...,” Gandhi told a gathering of farmers at a ‘choupal’ at village Mirzagarh, addressing them from the bonnet of his jeep braving torrid weather conditions and high humidity. Gandhi also walked some two km on the dusty tracks to reach the proposed food park site. Mocking at Modi’s ‘achche din’ slogan, Gandhi asked people “are you feeling or enjoying any achchhe dinIJ”. He said the “one-year tenure of Modi government is a total failure” and added that ‘achche din’ “will not come even after the rest of four years”.
Earlier, Rahul was given a warm welcome by the Congress leaders soon after he reach here at the Amausi airport, on Monday morning. Some confusion prevailed when Gandhi came out from the general enclosure with common travelers even as the Congress leaders were waiting for him at the VVIP gate. later Gandhi went to the VVIP gate to meet the leaders Prominent leaders who were present to greet the Party president, included Sanjay Singh, Pramod Tiwari, Nirmal Khatri, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Annu Tandon, Hanuman Shukla, Satyadeo Tripathi, Amarnath Agarwal, RP Singh, SP Srivastava, Virendra Madan, and Akhilesh Pratap Singh. Some commotion also broke out when the activists of the Youth Congress blocked the vehicle of the Rahul Gandhi and police had to intervene to clear the passage.