Farmers’ situation in Vidarbha has worsened, says Rahul

Mumbai, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who undertook a ‘padyatra’ in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha district to obtain a first-hand account of the agrarian crisis in the region, told mediapersons that the situation has worsened in the past few years.
The Congress leader, who first tried to connect with farmers several years ago, told mediapersons that agriculturists were worse off under the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government in the state.
“I have come to Vidarbha earlier also, but never saw a situation like this,” Rahul Gandhi told reporters after meeting families of several farmers who had committed suicide.
The Congress leader, who traversed through many villages since early this morning, was told by many farmers that they had been cheated by insurance companies.
Rahul Gandhi, who sat on the floor at a small temple at Hirpur village, was told by farmers that agents of insurance companies had collected hefty premiums from them for insurance against crop loss.
However, when they went to collect compensation after losing their crops due to unseasonal rain this year, the farmers were turned away, they told the Congress leader.
The farmers complained that insurance companies had chosen a few villages and only farmers there were compensated for crop loss.
Villagers, who came out to greet Rahul during his ‘samvad yatra’, also expressed apprehension that their farm land might be taken away and given to industrialists after the land acquisition law, passed by the Congress, was amended.
The entire Congress party in Maharashtra was out in full strength.
Among those who accompanied Rahul Gandhi included AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik and Congress Rajya Sabha member Avinash Pandey.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, tried to make light of Rahul’s padyatra. Chief Minister Fadnavis called it a “repentance yatra”.
“He is repenting for his government’s failure to implement policies for farmers in Maharashtra,” Fadnavis said.