Amit Shah: Doubtful if Rahul Gandhi knows Rabi and Kharif

Amit Shah. Pic/PTI

Taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, BJP chief Amit Shah Tuesday said it was doubtful whether the Congress leader knows when Rabi and Kharif crops are grown and alleged the opposition party cannot protect farmers' interest. Addressing farmers at a function in Nagaur district of poll-bound Rajasthan, Shah also said the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi do not give slogans merely for elections and they know how to make them a reality.

He lauded Rajasthan for playing an important role in formation of the Modi government at the Centre with a huge majority. The BJP won all 25 Lok Sabha seats from the state in the 2014 general elections. Hailing the Rajasthan voters for giving a full majority to the BJP, Shah said there could have been a "dhulmul sarkar" (weak government) if Rajasthan had not given such a verdict.

The BJP president alleged the Congress can neither protect the country nor its farmers as it has failed to implement the slogan of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'. Asking farmers to vote for the BJP, Shah said the BJP governments in the state and at the Centre have worked hard for the agriculture sector and were committed to meet the target of doubling farmers' income by 2022.

He said the Modi government has worked for farmers ever since it came to power and has taken many decisions, including launch of soil health card, increase of minimum support price for Rabi and Kharif crops, lowering area covered for calculating compensation of damage to crops from 50 to 33 per cent, and neem-coating of urea. "To stand with farmers is the nature of the BJP. The BJP government is dedicated to farmers and has worked for them. We want to double farmers' income by 2022 when the country completes 75 years of independence. Only BJP can do this," he said.

Targeting Gandhi, he said that it was doubtful that the Congress leader knows when Rabi crops or Kharif crops are grown, referring to the two main crop seasons in the country based on the monsoon. Shah has been touring different places in Rajasthan where assembly elections are scheduled to take place later this year. Referring to the forthcoming elections, Shah said the Congress would contest the state polls in Sachin Pilot's leadership and asked farmers whether the Congress leader or anyone else can do any good for them.

The BJP president said the Modi government has spent more budget on agriculture sector as compared to the former UPA government and the growth rate in agriculture sector in BJP-ruled states was high than that of the Congress-rule states. Shah also targeted the Congress over the issue of national security, saying when soldiers were beheaded on borders, the then PM Manmohan Singh was mute but Prime Minister Narendra Modi replied with a 'surgical strike' when Uri attack in Jammu & Kashmir happened during his rule.

In Udaipur, he said the BJP has always taken care of tribals and that it was the Atal Bihari-led BJP government which set up a separate tribal affairs ministry. He said that the Modi government also took several decisions for the welfare of tribal people. Shah also visited Narayana Seva Sansthan, an NGO working for differently abled people, in Udaipur. He inaugurated a free surgery camp for 501 polio-affected children in the Sansthan.

The BJP chief, during his three-day visit which concluded Tuesday, focused on farmers, youths, OBCs and tribal people and their issues. Shah visited Pali, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Bhilwara and Udaipur districts and party workers from three divisions of Jodhpur, Ajmer and Udaipur attended Shakti Sammelans and other programmes held during the party president's visit that began on Sunday. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was busy with her Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra on Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, she was in Jaipur.

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