Rahul Gandhi to keep spotlight on farm distress at Moga

Chandigarh: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is likley to tone-down the overriding political narrative from patriotic overtones to another more emotive issue of farm distress in a rally at Moga on Thursday by launching debt waiver scheme for landless labour and families of those who committed suicide. While it bring back spotlight on the farm distress, a more conducive poll plank for Congress, it works well for the party in Punjab where the chief minister Amarinder Singh government is implementing debt waiver of over Rs 7,000 crore.

Earlier the rally, formal kick-start of Congress campaign in Punjab, was planned to dwell on theme ‘Jai Jawan Jai Hindustan’ to commemorate security personal killed in Pulwama attack but after directions from top leadership the ocassion will now highlight measures taken to address farm distress by the Congress ruled state.

While Punjab is not new to the tension between India-Pakistan, is not rare for people in the border state, the changed narrative allows the Congress to sell its pre-poll plank of debt waiver in other states. “Rahul Gandhi had promised to extend debt waiver to landless farmers and dalits ahead of ssembly polls in three states. Punjab is first Congress state to have waived loans of farmers and of landless farmers-,"Harjot Kamal, Congress MLA from Moga said. Rahul Gandhi, during the rally, is likely to launch the scheme for landless labours and families of farmers who committed sucides and debt waiver certificates will be issued to a few beneficaries. The highlight on poll plank of farm distress works the party in Punjab where loans worth over Rs 4,736 crore have been waived and additional Rs 3000 crore in state budget were allocated to cover landless labour and families of farmers who committed suicide.


“Earlier it was decided to christen one of the ‘pandals’ in rally after the local CRF head constable who died in the attack but then it seemed improper to ignore other martyrs,” a party worker said.