Need for Kisan Budget as PM Modi govt not paying heed to farmers

A day after demanding "Kisan Budget", Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said the need for the same has arisen as the Modi government was not paying any heed to the problem of farmers.

"After I suggested bringing Kisan Budget, Arun Jaitleyji said why did not Rahul Gandhi say this when his UPA government was in power, I did not say this as farmers had confidence that Congress will do justice for them in the general Budget itself", he said on way to Unnao from Kanpur during his Deoria to Dilli Kisan Yatra.

"They (farmers) fear that BJP government and Arun Jaitleyji will not give farmers their rightful share so I have asked the government to directly tell what it will do for the farmers next year", the Congress vice-president stressed.

"When the Congress party waived off farmers' loan we did a big rally in Delhi... all including the then PM Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and I myself told the people what we have done...the meaning is that when some step like this is taken leaders tell the public about it," he said The Congress leader said "in the past two and a half years, Narendra Modi has waived off Rs 1 lakh 10 thousand crores, we had waived off Rs 70,000 crore, why is Modiji, Jaitleyji and Gadkariji not saying anything on it... they are silent because they have given this waiver to 10 to 12 biggest industrialist of the country".

Yesterday in Kanpur, Gandhi had asked the Modi government to come up with a 'Kisan Budget' to ensure farmers get the right price for their produce.

"I have heard the railway Budget is being merged with the general Budget. If this can be done, I would ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prepare 'Kisan Budget...it will ensure that farmers get right prices for their crops, as they are not getting it now," he added.

Interacting with the locals here today, Rahul asked them whether they have benefitted from any of the poll promises made by Modi like Rs 15 lakh in their accounts or jobs to two crore youths.

In the past over two year, he has only travelled abroad which has not helped the common people in anyway, he alleged.