New Delhi: In an attempt to reach out to the grief stricken farmers, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took his fight against the contentious land acquisition bill to Punjab as he travelled by train to the grain bowl of the NDA-ruled state and met farmers to see their condition “with my own eyes”.
Dressed in a brown tee and jeans and sporting a stubble, the Congress Vice President reached Ambala in Haryana bordering Punjab this evening sitting in a general compartment of the Sachkhand express before he drove down to the local Anaj Mandi in Fategarh Sahib district.
Farmers in the state are finding it difficult to sell their produce after the recent unseasonal rains. The state has also witnessed suicides by farmers. Khanna grain market is considered one of the largest grain markets in Asia.
The visit comes at a time when farmers in the region have accused the government of tardy wheat procurement. Gandhi took the train to travel to Punjab.
Congress leader Amarinder Singh had on Monday suggested that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal stage a dharna along with his ministers outside the Prime Minister’s Office to seek his attention on farmers’ issue.
The Congress Deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, after visiting grain markets of Patiala and Khanna, had said, “If Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not giving time to Badal, he should better stage a dharna instead of loitering around and issuing hollow threats to seek his attention.”
Congress has been alleging that the government is not purchasing the produce of farmers adequately. The Congress Vice President had recently attacked the government, alleging that it was “ignoring” the farming community and favouring the industrialists and rich people.
He has also accused the government of giving out contradictory figures about the damages suffered by farmers during the recent unseasonal rains.
Gandhi, who was absent in the first half of the Budget session, owing to his 56-day leave, has been raising issues related to farmers and youths since he resumed party work.
The Congress Vice President also plans to undertake a padyatra from either Vidarbha in Maharashtra or the Telangana region, from the first week of May to connect with farmers.