Rahul Challenges Modi to Match Congress’ Farm Loan Waivers
Rahul Gandhi said his party would join farmers across the country in building pressure on the Narendra Modi government to waive off farm loans.
New Delhi, Dec 18: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday harped on fulfilling his election promise of waiving off farm loans in Madhya Pradesh, challenging the Narendra Modi government to follow suit at the Centre.
Addressing the media in the Parliament complex, Gandhi said the government has turned a blind eye to the loans given to 15 top industrialists of the country, including Anil Ambani, but has made no effort to alleviate the woes of the farmers in the last four years.
“We have already acted on farm loan waivers in few hours. Modi could not do this in the last four years. We will make sure farm loans are waived off. We will not let PM Modi sleep peacefully until he waives those loans,” Gandhi said.
The Congress chief also raked up the Rafale fighter jets issue, reiterating his earlier charge that the government favours select industrialists while ignoring debt-ridden farmers and the common man.
Alleging that Rs 3.5 lakh crore was waived for 15 people, including for Anil Ambani, he said poor people and small shopkeepers were on one side and the group of industrialists on the other.
He assured the people that the Congress and all other opposition parties would stand by them.
Terming demonetization the world’s biggest scam, Gandhi said the government had stolen from the public, shopkeepers and farmers.
“There will be many more typos coming now,” he said when asked about government’s claim on the “error” in the affidavit given to the Supreme Court on the Rafale issue.
The government claimed in its affidavit that the Rafale pricing issue has been looked into by the CAG whose report has been discussed in the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.
“We will force a JPC on the Rafale issue. Why are they (government and BJP) running away from a debate in Parliament,” Gandhi said.
As Gandhi spoke outside, inside the Lok Sabha the ruckus over Rafale led to chaos with BJP MPs holding up placards, demanding an apology from the Congress leader following the Supreme Court verdict which ruled out the need for a probe.
The BJP chorus didn’t go down well with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who was visibly agitated. She stood up from her chair and requested the speaker to let her party leader Mallikarjun Kharge speak, following which she was seen giving instructions to Congress floor coordinator Sushmita Deb.
