In Telangana, Rahul Gandhi targets PM Narendra Modi over farmers issue

ADILABAD: Rahul Gandhi today targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, whom he dubbed as "Mini-Modi", accusing them of going back on their poll promises to farmers, as he held a padyatra here to reach out to agrarian community.

"When the unseasonal rains came and when there was hailstorm, Modi did nothing. The Mini-Modi in Telangana also did nothing," the Congress Vice President said, without directly naming Rao, while addressing farmers in the region which has witnessed a spate of suicides due to agrarian distress.

Before coming to power, Modi as also leaders in Telangana had promised a lot of things to farmers like remunerative price to the farm produce and a loan waiver, he said, "but neither the Centre did it, nor the state government."

Rahul also again attacked the controversial land acquisition bill brought by the Modi dispensation alleging that it will spell doom for farmers as the government has taken out key provisions like social audit.

He kicked off his 15-km padyatra from Koritical village in this district to highlight the problems faced by farmers.

The main Opposition Congress, TDP and BJP allege that hundreds of farmers have committed suicide due to the agrarian distress in Telangana since the TRS Government assumed office in June last, a charge denied by the state administration.

The Congress Vice-President had earlier visited Punjab and Maharashtra, where he interacted with farmers and undertook padyatras. He has aggressively taken on the Modi Government inside and outside Parliament on the land bill issue.

Meanwhile, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the BJP hit out at Rahul, slamming attempts to politicise the farmers' issue and turn his visit into a "grand celebration".