No govt has done more for farmers than Modi’s: Amit Shah dares oppn to debate

india

Updated: Feb 23, 2019 17:34 IST

BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday hit out at the opposition parties led by the Congress for accusing the Narendra Modi government of neglecting the farmers. Shah dared the opposition leaders including Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Nationalist Congress party chief Sharad Pawar to have a debate “with facts” over “pro-farmer work” done by the Modi government.

Speaking at the BJP Kisan Morcha National Convention in Gorakhpur, Shah said, “No government in 70 years has done more work for farmers than the Narendra Modi government…But Rahul Baba spreads misinformation about the policies of the government and you (the BJP farmer leaders) listen to it. You should respond.”

“I throw open challenge to Rahul Baba and company…Sharad Pawar was saying it the other day…I say whosoever wants to have a debate on the minimum support price given by the Modi government can do it with facts. No other government has done more for farmers than the Narendra Modi government,” said Shah.

The BJP president claimed that the Modi government has ensured MSP one-and-a-half times the production cost to farmers for most of the crops. “And, if there are any loopholes, our leader (PM Modi) is open to listen to the issues and resolve them,” he told the BJP Kisan Moracha leaders.

Shah claimed that under the previous Congress-led government the benefits of the farm loan waiver reached only 13 per cent farmers while the PM Kisan rolled out by the Modi government would benefit 90 per cent farmers.

This was the second rally of the day where Shah targeted the Congress party over farm loan issue. Earlier at another rally in Lucknow, Shah alleged that Gandhi made false promises in election-bound states last year.

“Rahul baba makes fun of us, says farmers debt has to be waived. We have done and shown in Uttar Pradesh. You (Congress) promised to waive off Rs 48,000 crore of farm loans in Karnataka but only Rs 1,800 crore of loans could be waived off,” said Shah at the Sahkarita Sammelan organised by the BJP.

The BJP president also took a dig at the alliance between the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party saying that “mahagathbandhan” is a farce and would not work in the interest of the country if it wins the elections.