With the culmination of the first leg of `Deoria se Dilli Kisan Yatra’ in lucknow on Friday, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi seems to have scored valuable points by promising loan waiver and halving of power bills to farmers. Howeve the Congress poster boy’s promise of hiking the Minimum Support Price (MSP) instead of impressing upon the rural audience has confused them about is feasibility.
“There is a decline in agri-loan recovery since Rahul started his Yatra from Deoria on September 6. The farmers have started believing that their loans will be waived like it was done during UPA regime,” claimed a Congress leader close to Rahul.
The rural folks have started saying that they will not pay power bills indicating that they were thinking of getting relief in paying these bills too,” said the leader.
The leader who accompanied Rahul all through his Yatra from Deoria to lucknow, opined that the onerous task before the Congress vice-president in the remaining leg to New Delhi, will be convincing people on getting the MSP incraesed.
“Wherever we go and enquire about the Yatra’s impact among villager’s, we are up against one querry - what module will the party adopt to ensure a better MSP. Hence, Rahul should prepare a blue print to convince farmers and rural people on this score. If that happens, Rahul’s mission of winning the confidence of the people could be achieved. This in turn will immensely help the party’s poll prospects,” felt the senior Congress leader.
“The Congress has a slight advantage on tis account. After becoming PM, Narendra Modi had assured farmers of hiking the MSP to a level which gave at least 50 percent more profit a compared to the cost incurred. But Modi’s promise turned out to be ahollow. Farmers are cautious and wanted a concrete plan on getting the MSP increased,” said the leader.
The first leg of the ‘Deoria-Delhi Yatra’ covering 2229 kms, culminated in lucknow on Friday with a grand roadshow in the Old City area. The second leg of the Yatra will start from Sitapur from Monday and conclude in Delhi before Dussehra. In the first phase, Rahul interacted with farmers in 17 khat sabhas, held 12 road shows besides addressing more than 500 small public meetings.