This Article is From Jul 10, 2011

Mayawati govt has failed its farmers, says Rahul Gandhi at Kisan Mahapanchayat

Aligarh: After his much-publicised four-day walkathon or padayatra through the villages of western Uttar Pradesh, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's projected campaign for the rights of farmers culminated today at the much-anticipated kisan mahapanchayat at Aligarh.

On expected lines, Mr Gandhi wasted no time in launching a scathing attack on the Mayawati government for what he called its forcible and flawed acquisition of farmers' land.

With the police firing at Bhatta-Parsaul villages continuing to be an emotive issue, Mr Gandhi stepped up his attack further claiming that the farmers faced bullets for demanding a legitimate price for their land.

The aggressive pro-farmer pitch of the young Gandhi scion hasn't been lost on anyone. An almost 60-km walk-on-foot through more than 22 villages, interacting with villagers and apprising them of their rights, eating and spending the night at a modest villager's hut are just a few things that Mr Gandhi did, captured on national television, almost sounding a bugle for the crucial assembly elections to be held less than a year away in the state. (Read: Rahul Yatra - Photo-ops galore, but will they lead to votes?)

Arriving in a chartered plane from New Delhi at the Numaish Maidan in Aligarh, Mr Gandhi was flanked by other Congress leaders like Digvijaya Singh, Jitin Prasada, RPN Singh, Salman Khurshid and Sriprakash Jaiswal as he took to the stage.

Thanking the farmers who had gathered there since the wee hours of the morning, Rahul Gandhi launched a tirade against the Mayawati government, blaming it for denying the farmers a fair price for their land. Claiming that no farmer was against development, he justified the strong discontent and unrest among farmers as a result of a denial of their legitimate demands by the state government.

"Land is being taken from farmers to build colonies, golf courses, racing tracks etc...if a rich man in Lucknow or Delhi wants to sell their land, they get the market price but farmers in UP are fired at...that is why they are angry", Mr Gandhi said.

Rahul Gandhi's persistent attack on the Mayawati government in the last few months and the last four days in particular has sparked off a heated war of words. In fact, Ms Mayawati announced a new land acquisition policy to counter the Congress' anti-farmer charges.

In response, Mr Gandhi today promised farmers of a bringing in a new and just land acquisition bill at the Centre. In the same vein, he added that a change in law wouldn't suffice. Putting the onus squarely on the UP government for providing the farmers a fair price for their land, Mr Gandhi said, "Same law is applicable in Haryana. But the Haryana government listens to their farmers, the UP government doesn't". (Read: Land Acquisition Bill to be tabled in Monsoon Session, says Pawan Bansal)

Rahul Gandhi's address at the mahapanchayat marks an end of an almost week-long aggressive pro-farmer campaign, aimed at highlighting what he calls as atrocities on farmers by the Mayawati regime.

On Thursday, Mr Gandhi in an interaction with villagers remarked that the state was being run by dalals (touts).

"In UP, farmers are being robbed in broad daylight. In Delhi, we will give you a good law. But we can't change the intent of government," he said during his interaction on Friday. (Read: Uttar Pradesh being run by 'dalals', says Rahul Gandhi)

Describing it as an unforgettable experience that helped enlighten him of the farmers' problems, Mr Gandhi said, "I have learnt a lot after talking to you. I am young and from you I have gained a world of knowledge on land acquisition issues... I can never forget all this all my lifetime and the fact that I am taking back so much from you." (Read: Learnt more from you than in Lok Sabha: Rahul to farmers)

For many, the padyatra and the subsequent mahapanchayat are largely being perceived as the Congress' unofficial launch of campaigning for the all-important elections in the state. But with a chequered record in terms of his electoral campaigns and many critics saying he needs to do much more to prove his mettle, Rahul Gandhi knows all too well that 2012 will be his first real acid test. (Watch: Rahul Gandhi's padyatra - Mission 2012?)
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