JAIPUR: On the second day of his Rajasthan visit to support the protesting farmers, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a tractor rally and led a roadshow by riding a camel cart in Ajmer district.
In his outreach to farmers, Gandhi addressed thousands of farmers in Rupangarh town where the stage was erected on tractor trolleys. For the event at Rupangarh, Gandhi rode a tractor with CM Ashok Gehlot and PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasara seated next to him.
The Congress MP remained unsparing in his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government over the farm laws. He claimed that the laws will destroy agriculture. "If implemented, the laws will ruin farmers and no youngster will find jobs. Modi claims he is creating options through these laws. But the three options he is creating for farmers are only of hunger, unemployment, and suicide.”
Urging the Centre to take back the three farm laws, Gandhi said, “Modi ji says he wants to speak to farmers but what does he want to talk about? First, he should repeal the laws, then farmers will speak. You (PM) are looting homes of farmers and depriving them of all their rights. Your government only wants to give all rights under ‘Hum Do, Hamare Do’ (We two, our two).”
‘Hum Do, Hamare Do’ is the phrase Gandhi coined to argue that the intent of the farm laws is simply to favour two corporates allegedly close to the Modi government.
Before the tractor rally at Rupangarh, Rahul Gandhi visited the ‘Veer Tejaji Maharaj Temple’ in Ajmer which is especially revered by the Jats, the dominant farm community of Rajasthan. CM Ashok Gehlot, party leader Sachin Pilot and Ajay Maken joined him during this temple trip.
After the Rupangarh rally, Rahul Gandhi addressed a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ at Makrana in Nagaur district. Gandhi claimed that farmers have shown ‘light in the darkness’ through their protests against the three farm laws and the farmers' agitation has now become an ‘agitation of India.’
Rahul slammed the Prime Minister for "not giving enough assistance to migrants and country's poor people during the Corona crises". He remarked: "When poor people asked for help to buy train and bus tickets to return their homes, the PM refused to give them a single rupee. But during the same period, he rode off loans of 1.5 lakh crores for his corporate friends."
The Congress hopes that Gandhi's rallies will galvanise farmers in the state. Till now, Rajasthan farmers have been on the sidelines of the farmers agitation which has been led chiefly by farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.