Rahul to take up opium growers146; cause with FM

Opium seems to be the latest flavour of politics in Rajasthan. Even as senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh finds himself...

Opium seems to be the latest flavour of politics in Rajasthan. Even as senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh finds himself in a soup for allegedly serving opium-laced drinks to some BJP leaders in his native village recently, the Congress has come out in favour of opium growers in the state.

AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday assured opium growers from Rajasthan that he would take up their problems with Finance Minister P Chidambaram. Several jeeploads of farmers from Kota, Jhalawar, Baran and Bhilwara had landed up at the AICC headquarters on Monday claiming that the Centre was not giving them pattas lease deeds for growing opium in the current season and demanding that the Congress should intervene in this regard.

They continued to lay a virtual siege at the Congress headquarters on the second consecutive day today. Rahul Gandhi, who had come to the party office to attend a meeting of the Publicity and Publication Committee, went over to the farmers to discuss their problems.

The cultivators claimed that in the last season their production had fallen down drastically due to crop damage. They, therefore, could not meet the requirements fixed by the Centre while giving them lease deeds last year.

As a result, in the current cropping season the Centre decided to reduce the target area for opium cultivation, which came as a blow to many opium growers.

After Rahul8217;s meeting with opium growers, a delegation of Congress leaders led by Rahul and including Mukul Wasnik and Ashok Gehlot was learnt to have sought an appointment with the Finance Minister in this connection.

Meanwhile, the AICC Publicity Committee on Tuesday decided to come out with booklets on a range of issues including Sethusamudram project, Sachar panel recommendations for Muslims and the Government8217;s action upon them, 60 years of Independence, and achievements of the UPA Government, among others.

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These booklets are likely to be distributed among party leaders at the AICC session in New Delhi on November 17.