Rahul's 'love' for farmers a drama for UP polls: BSP

As Rahul Gandhi continued his kisan padyatra for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh's ruling Bahujan Samaj Party claimed that his "love" for farmers is mere a political drama in view of the forthcoming assembly elections in the state.

"The love for farmers is nothing but a stunt and political drama being enacted by the Congress yuvraj before the assembly elections," the party said in a statement today.

The 41-year-old All India Congress Committee general secretary is on a padayatra -- Kisan Sandesh Yatra -- in western UP. The march has been billed as a campaign against Chief Minister Mayawati ahead of the Congress's proposed kisan mahapanchayat in Aligarh district on July 9.

The BSP said if Rahul is actually worried about the problems of farmers, he should try to ensure that the prices of diesel and fertilises are brought under control by the Congress-led government "instead of enacting this drama in Uttar Pradesh in the name of farmers."

"It is because of the anti-farmers' policies of the central government that today the farmers are facing immense hardships," the party said.

It said had the UPA government been sensitive towards their plight, it would not have hiked the prices of diesel, which has a direct impact on the agriculture sector and farmers.

"The Congress leaders are indulging in such dramatics to divert the attention of the common people from the charges of corruption being levelled on the United Progressive Alliance government," said the BSP.

"It is merely to remain in the news that the Congress yuvraj sometimes visits Bhatta Parsaul or wants to go to Aligarh," it said.

The party added that if he was so worried about farmers, Rahul would have also visited Congress-ruled states.