Won’t let PM Modi sleep until he announces farm loan waiver, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday upped the ante against Prime Minister and declared that he would not let Prime Minister Narendra Modi sleep or rest in peace until he announces loan waiver for farmers across the country. Rahul Gandhi cited the loan waiver by newly formed Congress governments in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh as an example for the prime minister to give a reprieve to farmers.

"Dekha apne? Kaam shuru ho gaya hai (Did you see? The work has already begun)," the Congress chief told reporters in Parliament.

Within hours of swearing-in ceremony, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday announced loan waiver for farmers in their respective states. The third state, Rajasthan, where the Congress party formed government, will also do it soon, Rahul Gandhi told reporters.

Also Read | Kamal Nath clarifies Rahul Gandhi's stand after MK Stalin's PM candidate proposal

The Congress chief termed his party’s victory in the recent Assembly elections “win of farmers” and promised that all the Congress-ruled states will waiver farm loans. The Gandhi scion claimed that the prime minister was only concerned about his 15 industrialist friends and didn’t waive a single rupee of the poor farmers.

"On one side you have farmers, poor, youth, small traders and on the other, you have the country's top 15 industrialists. He put Rs. 3,5000 crore in their pockets.

"We won't let Modi ji sleep or rest or sit in peace until we make him waive farmers' loans," he vowed.

Also Read | Day after conviction in 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Sajjan Kumar quits Congress

Taking a dig at the Modi government for the “typo errors” in its affidavit filed before the Supreme Court over Rafale deal, the Congress leader reiterated his demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the controversial aircraft deal.

“JPC, Rafale, farm loan waivers, demonetization, typo errors will soon emerge in everything. People have been lied to, farmers & small traders are being looted,” Gandhi said.