Rahul launches Congress poll campaign in Telangana: Promises farm loan waiver if party wins Assembly elections

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launch the party’s election campaign in Telangana and promised farmers in the state farm loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh at one go if his party wins in the coming state Assembly elections scheduled on December 7.

“Farmers are committing suicide all over the country. Thousands of farmers committed suicide in Telangana because they didn’t get proper price (for their produce) … The Congress party promises that Rs 2 lakh in farm loan will be waived in one go. Not only that we will also ensure Rs 7,000 per quintal for cotton,” the Congress president said at a public meeting in Bhainsa.

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Rahul accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao of making false promises to people. He also alleged that KCR insulted B R Ambedkar by changing the name of a project named after him.

“Change will come in Telangana. The KCR government will go. And in Delhi, Narendra Modi’s government will go. I did not come here to make false promises. If you want to listen to false promises, then go to KCR and Modi, they will give you false promises,” Rahul said.

KCR changed the project designs, raising its cost from Rs 38,000 crore to Rs one lakh crore, the Congress president said, adding that with Rajiv Sagar and Indira Sagar projects too original costs were inflated.

“Wherever you see, CM indulges in corruption and benefits go to his family, relatives. As soon as he became CM, KCR started indulging in corruption, giving all the benefits to his family,” Rahul said in his speech.

If voted to power at the Centre as well as in the state, the Congress will implement the Tribal Rights Bill (The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act) and Land Acquisition Acts in letter and spirit, Rahul said.

“The moment Congress comes into power in Telangana, we will protect tribal lands. We will give Rs 3,000 allowance each to unemployed youth,” he said.

Rahul said that the KCR government failed to fulfil promises such as job for every family, three acres of land to every SC and ST family and two-bedroom houses for all eligible people. Rao also failed to implement 12 per cent quota for STs and provide drinking water to every family, he said.

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“Wherever Modiji and KCR go they make false promises. You watch all my speeches. I am in politics for the past 15 years. We promised to waive their loans (earlier). We waived Rs 70,000 crore worth of farm loans,” he said.

Continuing to attack Modi, Rahul said, “He pits people of one religion against the other, one region against another, one caste against another, and weakens the country”. The note ban also destroyed the small-scale sector in the country, he alleged.

On the Rafale deal, Rahul said Modi owes answers to the nation.