PM remembering farmers after poll defeat in 5 states: Cong

The Congress Saturday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accusing it of misleading farmers on loan waiver promises, saying that he is remembering farmers now after losing elections in five states.

Congress spokesperson R P N Singh, at a press conference, also asserted that neither will his party sleep, nor let the prime minister sleep until farmers' loans are waived and all facilities provided to them.

His remarks came in response to Modi's allegation, during his day-long visit to Uttar Pradesh's Purvanchal region, that the Congress was misleading farmers on loan waiver promises.

"What was he (Modi) doing in 2008 when the Congress waived loans worth Rs 77,000 crore. We did not make any propaganda about it...we went and directly remitted the money into the accounts of farmers who had loans," Singh said.

"It is unfortunate that after five years, the prime minister today is thinking about the farmers. We have continued to raise issues about them," he said.

After losing in five states and the Congress waiving loans within hours of coming into power in three states,the prime minister is now remembering farmers, Singh said.

"This is the very prime minister, who in 2014 in every electoral speech of his, promised the farmers the moon.

"What has happened to the farmers? We have seen them walking in Maharashtra...in Noida, they were beaten up mercilessly by police and today the prime minister is talking of farmers," he said, adding that they will reach Modi a lesson.

The prime minister, in his remarks in Uttar Pradesh, said Congress governments had handed over "lollipops" to farmers instead of what was promised.

"Be wary of the Congress and its lies," he said at a public meeting in Ghazipur after laying the foundation stone for a medical college and releasing a postal stamp on legendary king Suheldev.