In the wake of the recent hike in Minimum Support Price (MSP) announced by the centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 11 addressed Kisan Kalyan Rally (farmers’ welfare rally) in Malout, Punjab and alleged that the Congress Party betrayed the peasantry and only made fake promises in the last 70 years.
“In the last 70 years, the party on which our farmers placed their faith did not recognize their hard work. Only promises were made to farmers. They (Congress) made a lot of announcements about welfare in those years, but they were only worried about the welfare of one family. Farmers were made a vote bank,” PM Modi said.
The farmers are soul of our nation, they are our ‘annadata’, but the Congress Party has always betrayed them and used them as vote bank but NDA government at the centre is working toward changing this scenario, PM Modi added.
While reiterating its government’s stand on fulfilling commitments towards farmers, he said, “The NDA government is striving for change. We came good on our ‘One Rank, One Pension’ promise and we also delivered on our promise of MSP hike. A host of other features were implemented, including the introduction of a Soil Health Card.”
While hailing farmers’ hard work irrespective of whatever the situation may have been Modi added, “During the past four years, the way you have been filling granaries with record production, I bow before you. Be it wheat, paddy, cotton, sugar or pulses, all previous records are being broken. Even now, new records would be set, this is being predicted.”
The rally was attended by farmers from Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab and leaders of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP, including Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, SAD Chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
