AHMEDABAD: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday hit out at Rahul Gandhi over trade deals and farmer issues, accusing the Congress leadership of “misleading the nation”. He asserted that Modi government policies have protected farmers, dairy and agricultural exports globally.
Unveiling the country’s first Central Bank Digital Currency-powered public distribution system in Gandhinagar, Shah threw down a challenge to the Leader of Opposition on the contentious issue of international trade deals.
“I want to tell the prince of Congress Rahul Gandhi, who talks about farmers in Parliament how much grain did you buy from farmers? Compare 10 years of the UPA government and 10 years of the Narendra Modi government. We have bought 15 times more grain than you at the support price,” he said.
He then pivoted to the global trade debate dismissing Opposition claims. “They say Modi ji has harmed farmers through trade agreements with the European Union, England and America. I have come to tell the farmers of the country that Rahul Gandhi is lying and misleading them. Modi ji has protected farmers in all these trade agreements. No one needs to worry,” he said.
Sharpening his counter-attack, Shah invoked Gujarat’s dairy strength to dismantle a “false narrative” of the Congress. “This is the land of dairy. Rahul Gandhi, you are spreading false rumours that Modi ji has ended our dairy sector through these trade deals. We are the ones paving the way for dairy growth. Modi ji has provided complete security to the dairy sector in both agreements,” he said.
‘Dairy sector protected’
Shah said Gandhi is “spreading lies” that PM Modi has finished India’s dairy sector by signing these deals. “We are the people who expanded the dairy sector, not weakened it,” he said.