Rahul must do homework well before making allegations: Naidu

BJP leader said the Gandhi scion's facts and figures with regard to agricultural growth rate and farm credit were wrong

Taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi over his repeated attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said the Congress Vice President should first do his homework well before levelling allegations on others.

"You never bothered to console those families at that time... Neither the (AICC) president (Sonia Gandhi) nor the vice president (Rahul Gandhi), because your party was ruling at that time," Naidu told reporters here, citing National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data that 1.6 lakh farmers committed suicide in the last 10 years in the country.

"Now that you are out of power and you just came here (Rahul's tour of Telangana) for a one-day trip and criticised the Prime Minister, ministers and the State and Central governments," the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs said.

Stepping up the attack on Gandhi, Naidu questioned the UPA government on low compensation paid to farmers who had relinquished their land under land acquisition processes.

"What is that you (UPA government) have done. During your regime of 10 years, more than two lakh acres of farm land was acquired with a nominal compensation from farmers of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and also Harayana.

It was done without giving adequate compensation. Now four times compensation is being given (by NDA government). You object to that. You must do homework before you make allegations against others," he said.

The senior BJP leader claimed that the Gandhi scion's facts and figures with regard to agricultural growth rate, farm credit, Amethi food park, ban on fishing, were wrong.

"My suggestion is please do enough home work before making statements and that too before making allegations against others. Otherwise it will boomerang on you. This is my advise to the Congress Vice President," he said.

Rahul Gandhi, who undertook a 15 km padayatra in Telangana last week to highlight problems faced by farmers, had targeted Modi and state Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, whom he dubbed as "mini-Modi", accusing them of reneging from poll promises to farmers.

"When there was excess rain, hailstorms (in parts of the country), where were these central Congress leaders. Why they have not visited Telangana, Andhra Pradesh or any other parts (of the country)," Naidu questioned.