Rahul Gandhi asks govt: Are farmers not part of 'Make in India'

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took on the NDA Government in parliament over the farmers' crisis, and asked if farmers were not a part of the latter's 'Make in India' campaign.

"Farmers are crying in mandis; they are in pain and your minister (in Haryana) says farmers who are committing suicide are cowards, criminals. Your government did not help, farmers suffered; you stopped their bonus, farmers suffered. They cannot even sell their produce. Your government says "Make in India" hona chahiye... hamaari sarkaar, aapki sarkar, but not farmers' sarkar," said Gandhi.

"The Indian Prime Minister is in the country for some time. He should visit Punjab too and listen to the farmers. Do farmers not "Make in India?" If a farmer suffering from losses is compensated, then it is your gain, not ours. You should procure grain from mandis as soon as possible," he added.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' campaign saying that farmers contribute the maximum to this initiative and added that the government should help the farming community.

"The Prime Minister talks about 'Make in India'. Who contributes more than the farmers from Punjab in 'Make in India'? The poor contributes to 'Make in India', isn't that ' Make in India'? The Central Government should help out the farmers," Gandhi told the media.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Congress vice-president left for Punjab by train to assess the plight of the farmers.

After meeting the farmers of Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab, Gandhi said that the Land Acquisition Bill is meant to snatch the land away from the farmers to benefit the industrialists.