Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly keeping mum on the issues of farmers and declared that his party would waive off farm loans within 10 days if it was voted to power in Madhya Pradesh.
Gandhi was speaking at a rally in Mandsaur, 346km from Bhopal, on the anniversary of police firing against protesting farmers, which killed six people last year. After meeting the family members of the victims of last year's firing, Gandhi said 1,200 farmers had committed suicide due to wrong policies of BJP governments at the state and Centre.
Gandhi said the Congress party, when it would come to power, would convert Mandsaur into an industrial hub to give competition to China, which is flooding India with its products. He said the doublespeak of the prime minister has led to worsening in conditions of farmers.
Gandhi said a Congress government would set up food processing industries in every district of Madhya Pradesh, so that farmers got full price for their commodities. Gandhi reiterated that the Congress party in Madhya Pradesh was united and fighting like a team. He told party workers that their place comes before the party leaders. Gandhi said that his priority was the people of the country and the Congress workers who have been toiling hard for last 15 years.
Earlier, Gandhi reached Madhya Pradesh and offered tributes to the farmers who were killed in police firing last year. The rally was attended by senior Congress leaders including Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Digvijaya Singh, Arun Yadav, Ajay Singh Rahul and Suresh Pachauri.
Through Wednesday's rally, the Congress has formally launched its election campaign in the state. This was the first major programme of the Congress party since Nath was appointed Congress's state unit president last month.