New Delhi [India], Sept. 6 : With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) branding Rahul Gandhi's Kisan Yatra as nothing but a 'photo op', the grand old party on Tuesday stated that the saffron party was simply bewildered and worried at the resounding success of the Congress vice president being joined by thousands during the rally, which is why they were resorting to reckless and wild allegations.
Speaking to ANI here, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that Rahul's 'Kisan Yatra' has been a resounding success with the poor, the downtrodden, the farmer and labourers joining in an unprecedented spirit and in thousands and thousands lining across the entire route.
"BJP is obviously worried, bewildered and now they are resorting to reckless and wild allegations purely on account of success of the Kisan Yathra.
What has Shri Rahul Gandhi said? If Modi ji can wave off 1 lakh 20 thousand crores rupees of loans of corporate in last two years, why can't the loan of farmers and poor labourers be waived? Why can't they get electricity at half the rates? Modi ji promised cost plus 50% as minimum support price for crops? Why has that become a jumla?," he said.
Further asserting that instead of answering the core and fundamental issues that Rahul has raised, the BJP is trying to sidetrack the issue, Surjewala added that the people of this country are very wise and they will sidetrack the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi instead.
Earlier, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was reacting to Rahul's 2500 km-long 'Kisan Yatra' from Deoria today, said this would not make much of a difference as they are now paying the price for their flip-flops in the country.
"Their fortunes would not change unless they understand the ground realities and mere photo-ops would not help them," he added.
In a bid to reinvigorate Congress and end its 27-year exile from power in the politically important Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi embarked on a 2500 km-long Kisan Yatra from Deoria.
"My yatra from Deoria to Delhi starting September 6 is a campaign to secure the rights of the poor, farmers and labourers in government resources," Gandhi's office said in a tweet.
Gandhi, who began his 2500 km-long 'Kisan Yatra' as efforts to reach out to the people of Uttar Pradesh which goes to polls next year, promised loan waiver and reduction in power tariff by 50 percent if the Congress is voted to power in the 2017 assembly polls.
"When we were in power, we developed many schemes to help the poor. We introduced MGNREGA, waived off their loans and what not. We have set out on this yatra so as to highlight the condition of farmers," he said "When Modi ji came here, he promised a lot to the farmers.
But since he formed the government, he has completely forgotten his promises. Why don't you waive the farmers' debts? We will through this yatra tell Modi ji about the worries of the farmers," he added.
Continuing his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi alleged that the former was more concerned about industrialists.
"We are not asking you to stop helping them. We are only saying do something for the farmers as well. I asked Modi ji as to why there is so much difference in farmers' rate and market rate, but I didn't get a reply," he added.
Gandhi also used the occasion to target the Samajwadi Party and alleged that the state government was ignoring the plight of the labourers.
Source: ANI
