Rahul Gandhi on Monday sharpened his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing his "suit-boot" government of being pro-industrialists while ignoring the plight of farmers and farm labour.
In the second attack after Sunday’s farmers' rally speech in New Delhi where he prised the Modi government of being anti-farmer and pro-industrialists, the Congress leader made repeated jibes playing on the words 'ache din (good days) government' and 'suit-boot sarkar' and claiming it had failed.
"The ache din government has failed the country on the issue of farmers," he said in a 25-minute speech accusing it of "ignoring" the farming community and favouring the industrialists and rich people, which was a "blunder" as the farmers will 'harm" BJP in future.
Making a rare speech, the Congress vice president, who was absent in the House during the first part of the Budget session as he had gone on a mysterious 56-day leave of absence, took the floor as the House resumed discussion on the agrarian situation in the country, which was partly discussed during the first part of the budget session.
Later, he told media persons outside the House that the government had no answers to the questions he had raised in the House. His mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi was also appreciative of his speech.
The speech was repeatedly interrupted by BJP members, who clashed with Congress members who got up to defend their leader.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had to intervene to calm down the treasury benches, telling them let the debate continue without interruption.
Intervening in the debate on the agrarian situation in the country, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu also hit out at the previous UPA dispensation for issuing over 460 ordinances during its tenure compared to about ten by it.
The land ordinance was re-issued after much deliberations, he said, adding that the previous UPA dispensation "had issued 462 ordinances, while this government has come out with hardly 10".
Attacking the Congress, Naidu said the party was trying to bat for the farmers' interests after "looting" them for 10 year sand insisted that government was committed to providing relief those in distress.
At one point, Rahul addressed the BJP benches saying "your prime minister", which riled them. "He is nation's prime minister", they hit back.
"Yes, he is the country's prime minister. Is he not your prime minister", he retorted as the Congress benches thumped the desks to cheer their leader.
Rahul said farmers are responsible for laying the "foundation" for whatever the country has achieved but they are being ignored by the government.
Taking digs at the Prime Minister, he said Modi "should switch over to the side of farmers and labourers from that of high and mighty and industrialists" as it will benefit BJP politically and harm Congress.
"I will offer an advice to the Prime Minister. He will gain politically if he changes sides as farmers are over 67 per cent of population.
"You are making a blunder by harming farmers and labourers and they will harm you in future. If you switch over to their side it will help you and may harm us," he said.
Rahul said he has been wondering over the Prime Minister's policies, which were "affecting" farmers, since Modi knows the "political calculations" and has just won the elections.
"Then it occurred to me that the price of farmers' land has been rising and your corporate friends covet these lands. You are weakening the farmers now and then use this axe of land ordinance to hit them," he said, charging that the government wanted to acquire land to help industrialists.
Amid continuous uproar and clashes between the treasury and opposition benches, Rahul cited figures to underline that farmers and agriculture are being neglected under the NDA.
He said the agriculture sector grew by only one percent during the 10-month-old Modi government and had grown by 2.6 per cent during the previous NDA government.
He accused the government of giving out contradictory figures about the damages suffered by farmers during the recent unseasonal rains and said BJP would function like this as it was used to speaking different voices.
At this, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh intervened to say that figures were different as the states had revised these.
Rahul said the 10-year UPA regime had ensured sharp rise in the MSPs of wheat, rice and sugarcane. While wheat MSP shot up from Rs 640 to 1400 per quintal and that of rice and sugarcane rose from Rs 560 and Rs 73 to Rs 1310 and Rs 220 respectively, he said.
During the present government, the MSP of wheat has been raised by only Rs 50, sugarcane by Rs 10 and cotton by Rs 50, Gandhi said.
Members from Congress and SP staged a walkout after Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, in his reply to the debate, rejected the charge that the government was pro-industrialists.
The Congress is visualising what it wants to see with "coloured glasses".
Singh said the government had relaxed norms for compensation to farmers hit by the recent unseasonal rains and hailstorm which had affected 93.81 lakh hectares of farm land as per the latest reports.
"People who looted the farmers, they are now trying to stand for farmers' interest," Singh said that the NDA government will not allow the farmers to suffer and would adequately compensate them for losses.
"People who are talking for farmers now they are wearing coloured glasses. They had mortgaged the country to the corporates. Now they are accusing us of being pro-corporate. Is Atal Pension Yojana for corporates," Singh asked.