Wayanad (Kerala): After taking out a tractor rally in his constituency in solidarity with agitating farmers, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out Monday at the BJP-led NDA government. Rahul Gandhi said agriculture is the only business that belongs to ‘Bharat Mata’. He urged the people to ‘force’ the government to take back the three farm laws.
The Wayanad MP is on two-day visit to his constituency in poll-bound Kerala. He also took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on MGNREGA. Rahul alleged Modi had ‘ridiculed’ the rural job scheme when he took over as PM in 2014. However, Modi was later ‘forced to accept’ the fact that the programme brought in by the previous UPA government played the role of ‘saviour’ of people of India during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have pop stars who are commenting on the situation of Indian farmers but the government is not interested. They are not going to take back three laws unless they are forced,” Rahul said. He was addressing a meeting organised after the six km tractor rally between Thrikkaipatta to Muttil in this hill district.
“The entire world can see the difficulties faced by Indian farmers. But the government in Delhi is unable to understand the pain of the farmers,” Rahul added. He alleged the three laws are designed to destroy the agriculture system in India. He said the aim is to give the entire business to two to three friends of Prime Minister Modi.
Rahul said that agriculture is the biggest business in India worth Rs 40 lakh crore. It is owned by millions and millions of Indians, the Congress leader said and added, ‘agriculture is the only business that belongs to Bharat Mata’ and a few people want to own this business.
Rahul also referred to the recent ‘hum do, hamare do’ jibe he had made in Parliament. It was done to give a narrative that two people in the government are partnering with two people outside to control Indian agriculture.
“The idea is that farmers should sell their produces directly to these people. They want to destroy the entire agricultural chain that protects 40 per cent of people of India,” Rahul alleged.
“We are not going to allow Bharat Mata’s business to be taken over by two or three Narendra Modi’s friends. That is why we drove tractors here to make farmers understand that we are standing with them. We are going to help them and we are going to make sure this BJP government takes back these laws,” the former Congress president said.