Making light of Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s speech at a farmers’ rally in Mandsaur, BJP said it was “scripted”, like the one delivered by a character in the hit Bollywood film “3 Idiots”.
While Gandhi promised immediate farm loan waiver if voted to power in Madhya Pradesh, the ruling party maintained that the BJP government is working on a permanent solution to farmers’ woes.
“Rahul Gandhi’s speech was dramatic, scripted and immature. There were no facts and data. He talked about setting up food processing units in the district. Only a week ago Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister had talked about food processing”, said state Minister of State for Cooperatives Vishwas Sarang at a press conference here.
“It seems the writer of Rahul’s speech has taken a cue from that,” said Sarang.
“His speech was like that from Bollywood film, “3 Idiots”, where a character delivers a speech written by others,” the BJP leader said.
He was apparently referring to a scene in the film where ‘Chatur Ramalingam’, played by Omi Vaidya, unwittingly delivers a hilarious speech written as a prank.
Asked about the Congress chief’s promise of loan waiver, Sarang said, “There is no such demand from farmers. We are heading for a permanent solution, and aiming to double farmers’ income”.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had questioned the loan waiver granted by the UPA government in 2008 and had termed it a “show piece” for elections, he said.
The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is providing loans to farmers at zero per cent rate, the minister said, adding “This is not a loan but a financial assistance.”
Asked about the loan waiver granted by BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, Sarang said the previous government in UP had ignored farmers, so it was needed, but that the situation in Madhya Pradesh was different.
“The Madhya Pradesh government has been working constantly for the welfare of farmers,” he said.
To Gandhi’s statement that he wanted to see mobile phones with ‘Made in Mandsaur’ tag instead of ‘Made in China’ in the next four years, Sarang said the Congress chief should also state why this — indigenous mobile phone manufacturing — could not happen in Amethi, his Lok Sabha constituency.
Earlier in the day, virtually kicking off his party’s campaign for the Assembly elections, Gandhi at a rally in Mandsaur said that if the Congress comes to power in MP, farmers will get loan waiver within ten days.
He also promised action against those responsible for the death of six farmers in police firing last year.