Locals want basic facilities, retail FDI not in radar

Listening to most of his public-meetings in Punjab, it is not hard to figure out where from Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi is coming.

“I was in UP recently,” Gandhi told a gathering of around 5,000 at a public-rally in the border town on Tarn Taran on Wednesday. “There (UP), a farmer asked me that when he was getting Rs 2 for a kilo of potatoes, why a packet of chips was being sold at Rs 10. Can anyone answer this question?” he asked the gathering. The crowd seemed least interested, and when no replies came, Gandhi said, “The answer is FDI in retail.”

Away from the trouble of removing shoes or going through the security-drill, a group of young men listened to Gandhi speak. “We don’t know whether foreign money is good or bad. The government knows better,” said Sabrinder Singh, 28, a farmer.

Most farmers here said they were not informed about how their agriculture would be affected by foreign money. Political parties seemed to be aware of this. Former chief minister, Amarinder Singh, who addressed the gathering before Gandhi, remained silent on FDI. Even the Congress manifesto finds no mention of FDI.

Locals said their immediate needs were basic, and not FDI. “Our town doesn’t have a trauma centre; the nearest is in Amritsar, an hour’s drive away. We want the government to provide us with such facilities,” said Gursharanjit Singh, 36, a farmer.

Among the local issues, rising cases of drug addiction is of concern. Locals unanimously agreed that they will vote for any party that could solve the drug problem. “Drugs are easily available here,” a local said.