Will help Siddaramaiah tackle Karnataka farmer suicides: Rahul Gandhi

BENGALURU: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday assured leaders of the state unit that he would soon spend two days talking to the kin of farmers who committed suicide in various parts of Karnataka.

Sources in the party said he would tour the state to interact with farmers and their families next month and that the dates would be decided in consultation with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president Dr G Parameshwar. Soon after his arrival from Tamil Nadu, Mr Gandhi met state unit leaders and ministers at a resort near the airport and discussed about the political situation and some issues concerning the local administration.

On Friday, he would drive to drought-hit district of Ananthpur, visit villages like Obuladevara Cheruvu and set out on a padayatra from that village. En route, he would interact with farmers, weavers and students, and hold meetings with NREGS workers and migrant labourers at different villages in the district. He would meet the family of a farmer Harinath Reddy who committed suicide recently.

On completion of the padayatra, Mr Gandhi would receive representations from people and talk to senior Congress leaders at Puttaparthi. He would visit the ‘Maha Samadhi’ of Sathya Sai Baba at Puttaparthi, before leaving for New Delhi.