Rahul juggernaut rolls on: After Punjab, Congress leader meets farmers from Vidarbha too

Mumbai: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi continued his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ignoring the problems of distraught farmers, and said the government had “abandoned” farmers facing their worst times. Mr Gandhi visited many villages in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region on a day-long padyatra on Thursday.

Mr Gandhi told reporters the situation in Maharashtra was “very disturbing” and alleged that the Modi government at the Centre was “working for crony capitalists and had no interest in helping farmers and the downtrodden”.

“There is a feeling of desertion among farmers. Instead of helping them in their toughest times, the BJP government at the Centre and in Maharashtra have abandoned farmers, resulting in the rise of farmers’ suicides,” Mr Gandhi said.

Mr Gandhi began his ‘Sanvad Yatra’ early on Thursday from Gunji village. On his way to Gunji, he met people from Kondhali and Talegaon villages lined up on the roads to meet him.

Mr Gandhi visited five villages on Thursday between Gunji and Ramgaon, interacting with farmers who suffered crop losses due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms. Maharashtra PCC chief Ashok Chavan and other senior leaders were with him.

The villagers told Mr Gandhi that “insurance companies are only selecting sample areas for giving compensation while the rest of the farmers were being deprived by them of the benefits due”.

Hailing Mr Gandhi’s initiative in opposing the Land Acquisition Bill, 2015, in Parliament, the villagers said they was apprehension that farm land would be acquired for business.