Cong has 56-inch heart, waived off farm loans of Chouhan's family members too: Rahul Gandhi

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday reiterated his claim that Chief Minister Kamal Nath led Congress government has waived off the loans of family members of the former chief minister and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

"I will show you clearly, look at these forms. Congress party waived off farm loans of Shivraj Singh Chouhan's family members, but he is telling lies to Madhya Pradesh that farm loans were not waived off," said Gandhi, while addressing an election rally here.

Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's '56-inch chest' remark, Gandhi said: "Modi ji has 56-inch chest but the Congress party has a 56-inch heart. The party has waived off loans of thousands of BJP workers."

"If we say that the farm loans of people of Madhya Pradesh will be waived off, then it will be done whether Shivraj Singh Chouhan's family members are going to benefit or not. All are ours. We do not hate anyone," he said.

Stepping up his attack on PM Modi for allegedly insulting Gandhi family, Rahul said: "Modi ji always talks with hatred. He always insults my father, grandmother, and my forefather. But I will never insult his parents. Because I am not a BJP person, I am from the Congress, which is going to defeat the BJP with love."

Former Chief Minister Chouhan on May 9 had hit back at Gandhi's claim that even the BJP leader's kin had received the benefit of loan waivers, claiming that his kin had not applied for a farm loan waiver.

Talking to media persons, Chouhan had alleged that farmers were being betrayed in the name of a loan waiver. He also claimed that Gandhi doesn't give due respect to Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

"Rahul had said that even my brother's farm loan has been waived off. In the application forms that were presented before the Panchayat in Jait, it is written that my brother Rohit hasn't even filled the application for farm loan waiver," he said.

The Congress had on May 7 handed over to Shivraj Singh a list of 21 lakh farmers whose loans have been waived off by the Congress government in the state.

Eight constituencies of Madhya Pradesh go to polls on May 19, the last phase of seven-phased Lok Sabha elections. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.