BJP chief Amit Shah in Gorakhpur: ANI

GORAKHPUR/LUCKNOW: Blaming previous Congress-led governments for the problems faced by farmers today, BJP president Amit Shah Saturday had a dig at Rahul Gandhi, asking how someone who has limited knowledge about agriculture gives advice on it.

"Rahul Baba claims doubling the income of farmers is not possible and mocks us. I want to say we are BJP workers and we don't joke on such issues," Shah said.

"Income will double with increased production and you'll see that (happening) by 2022," he said, adding, "Rahul Baba, who does not know if potato is cultivated or manufactured in a factory, advises us on farmers," he said.

Addressing his party's farmers convention in Gorakhpur, Shah, who asked his partymen to raise hands and take a pledge to make Narendra Modi prime minister again in 2019, said, "If Rahul Baba takes name of four crops of Kharif and Rabi without paper, we won't ask him any question."

"One family ruled for 55 years and they made the condition of farmers very bad... Farmers had no way but to stand in front of money lenders but Modi government opened the doors of banks for farmers. BJP government has taken forward Shastri ji's slogan of 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan'," Shah said.

"BJP government hiked 1.5 fold minimum support price for wheat and paddy and accepted Swaminathan report but Rahul Baba and company ask about purchase of Bajra and other crops, you (farmers) give them reply that BJP at least announced the 1.5 fold MSP for wheat and paddy," he said.

The BJP president said his party's government is "ready to fill the gaps left" and asked the Congress president to "not worry" as he "does not have the capability".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought technology from lab to land with soil health cards and opened call-centres to provide assistance to framers, he said.

On Pulwama terrorist attack, Shah said the blood of the 40 CRPF personnel martyred there will not go waste and cited the 2016 "surgical strikes" on across LoC to build his assertion.

"BJP government works on a policy of zero-tolerance on terrorism ," he stressed.

Earlier in Lucknow, Shah claimed his party has strengthened the cooperatives movement in the country and extended three times more help to farmers when compared to the previous UPA government.

"The previous UPA government of Sonia (Gandhi) and Manmohan Singh had extended loans worth Rs 23,635 crore to farmers through cooperatives, while the present Modi government has extended a help of Rs 72,051 crore which is three times more," he claimed at the Sahkarita Sammelan of his party.

"In five years, the Sonia-Manmohan government being run with the support of SP and BSP managed this... Can you imagine how much the cooperatives movement has been strengthened in the country (after that)," he asked.

In the state capital as well, the BJP president targeted the Congress president, saying "Rahul Baba makes fun of us, says farmers debt has to be waived. We have done and shown in Uttar Pradesh; you (Congress) had promised in Karnataka that Rs 48,000-crore worth (farm loans) will be waived but could manage only Rs 1,800 crore."

"Why are you misleading farmers by making false promises?" Shah said.

He said the state administrative structure had collapsed under SP and BSP rules and has been strengthened by Yogi Adityanath.