Capt Amarinder Singh endorses Rahul as PM face

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Samana, October 5

On the last leg of Day 2 of Congress’ “Kheti Bachao Yatra”, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today reposed faith in Rahul Gandhi being the next Prime Minister.

At a farmers’ rally in Samana, the Chief Minister said the controversial farm laws would be “scrapped by the Congress government once Rahul Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister as he understands the issues faced by farmers”. The Congress won’t let the minimum support price die down as it was essential for the sustenance of farmers, he asserted.

Gandhi, in his second address of the day, said the new laws were brought in by the Modi government “believing none of these communities affected will hit the roads fearing Covid-19”. “However I assure the Modi government farmers are already on roads and agitating. The whole idea to mislead the nation on farm Acts has failed,” he said.

Quoting Guru Nanak Dev, who had said ‘one cannot hide from truth’, the former Congress president said: “If we do not face the truth today, we will suffer.” He exhorted people, particularly farmers, to follow the path of truth shown by the Guru.

He said people who didn’t believe in him now, would likely “repent later”. “In two to three years, they will face the reality as to how the BJP is out to finish the lower middle class and farming community,” he said. Calling Punjab farmers the backbone of the nation, he said: “Punjab took up farming to feed the nation. Neither Modi nor any party could take that away from the state that has fed the nation ever since Green Revolution,” he said.

Referring to India’s standoff with China, Gandhi said: “Even China is trying to take advantage of this (pandemic) and occupying Indian land while our Prime Minister continues to lie. China had realised that Modi had weakened India, and had taken advantage of this to take control of 1,200 square km of our land.”

He said the PM had broken the backbone of the country with the economic growth plummeting to -24 per cent against nine per cent under Dr Manmohan Singh.

Gandhi accused the Centre of making policies that benefited only the country’s rich. “The Modi government is busy protecting the interests of a few individuals,” he said.

Sidhu stays away

• Former Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu stayed away from Congress’ rally on Day 2. Sidhu had attended Rahul Gandhi’s Moga rally on Sunday and later his tractor rally
• Having been cold-shouldered at the event, he chose not to participate in the events on Monday, despite the fact that Rahul was camping in Patiala for the night, say sources

Accede to Amritsar MLA’s demand: SAD

The SAD on Monday asked Congress former president Rahul Gandhi to commit that the Congress government would take complete responsibility of its farmers by acceding to former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s demand of procuring foodgrain at the minimum support price (MSP)

‘Rahul for PM? Agriculture Acts may never be repealed’

"The statement that Punjabis will now have to wait for Rahul Gandhi to become PM to repeal the Acts is unacceptable as everyone knows this might never happen."— Sukhbir Singh Badal, SAD president

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.