If voted to power, INDIA alliance to be voice of farmers: Rahul in Maharashtra

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the opposition INDIA alliance if voted to power will be the voice of farmers and frame policies to protect them reported news agency PTIRahul Gandhi in Maharashtra INDIA alliance government will be the voice of farmersHe was addressing a farmers rally at Chandwad in Maharashtras Nashik district along with NCP SP head Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut as part of the Congress ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay YatraThe INDIA alliance government will be the voice of farmers and work to protect their interests Rahul Gandhi said reported PTIHe promised loan waiver for farmers restructuring of crop insurance scheme to benefit cultivators to protect crop prices in formulation of export import policies and to make efforts to exclude agriculture from GST and work on only one taxThe Lok Sabha member from Wayanad also reiterated the Congress promise of a legal guarantee to minimum support price MSP as per the Swaminathan committee reportRahul Gandhi in Maharashtra Narendra Modi government waived off Rs 16 lakh crore debt of industrialistsThe former Congress president claimed 20 to 25 people in the country have wealth equivalent to 70 crore of the countrys population reported PTIThe Narendra Modi government waived off Rs 16 lakh crore debt of industrialists he further claimedThis amount is equivalent to 24 years of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme MGNREGA under which Rs 35000 crore is spent every year to give employment to the poor people Gandhi said reported PTIRahul Gandhi in Maharashtra Previous Congressled UPA government had waived off Rs 70000 crore debt of farmersHe said the previous Congressled UPA government had waived off Rs 70000 crore debt of farmersIf the loans of rich people can be written off farmers also should get the benefit he saidCriticising the Agnipath scheme under which soldiers are enrolled as Agniveers by the armed forces Gandhi said the Agniveers are excluded from pension and martyrdom status and are given training for only six months reported PTILike soldiers who protect our countrys borders farmers protect citizens within the country If we dont safeguard our jawans and kisans the country cannot progress he said reported PTINCP SP leader Sharad Pawar accused the central government of being apathetic to the plight of farmers and the agriculture sector reported PTIDue to lack of a proper price for their produce farmers are debtridden and committing suicide The UPA government had waived off Rs 70000 crore loan of farmers he saidIt is our collective responsibility to defeat the antifarmer antiyouth government which invites inflation the former Union minister said reported PTIShiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut said the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA is with Rahul Gandhi in the struggle to fight for peoples causesThe MVA comprises the Congress the Shiv Sena UBT and the NCP Sharadchandra Pawar It is part of the nationallevel opposition INDIA blocWith inputs from PTI