Focus on farmers' issues than blaming us, Congress tells Modi

Retaliating to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's latest attacks, the Congress on Saturday asked him to resolve the agrarian crisis and waive farmers' loans instead of blaming the grand old party.

Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh, Modi billed the Congress a "lollipop company" that had no real concern for farmers and asked people to be wary of the sops and promises assured by the party.

Modi has been vicious in his attacks against the Congress which after coming to power in the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, waived farm loans.

Iterating Congress' assertions that it will not let Modi sleep until nationwide farm loans were waived, party leader R.P.N. Singh reminded the Prime Minister of his 2014 Lok Sabha election promises of doubling farmers' income and waiving their loans.

"Modi perhaps should read more so that he knows that the Congress government in 2008 had waived farmers' loans across India to the tune of Rs 77,000 crore. Since the BJP came to power (in 2014), it is the Congress which is raising farmers' issues and Modi has preferred to remain insensitive to their plight," former Union Minister Singh told the media here.

"Instead of blaming the Congress for ills, Modi should focus on the promises he made and how he miserably failed to fulfill them," he said, adding "neither the Congress will sleep nor allow Modi to sleep unless farm loans are waived and farmers' issues resolved".

"Modi came to power promising the moon to the farmers and after doing nothing all these years, he has suddenly woken up because the elections are not very far," he said.

Singh also accused the BJP-led Centre of creating urea crisis in both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh by diverting trains carrying the fertiliser.

--IANS

and/nir