Congress president Rahul Gandhi Sunday mocked the interim budget announcement of Rs 6,000 minimum annual income support to farmers and said the prime minister can give Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani, but only Rs 17 per day to the farmers of the country. While addressing Jan Akanksha rally at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, Gandhi said, "Narendra Modi has given crores of rupees to Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. But, Congress party, if gets to form the government, will deposit money in the accounts of the poor." He promised minimum income guarantee for poor and said his party, along with the other parties in the opposition alliance, will fight for people's rights. Gandhi also said that education, employment and agricultural opportunities were stolen away from Bihar. "Farmers pay insurance premiums, but don't receive money when their crops are destroyed. Insurance companies make the profit," he said. "When Arun Jaitley is asked to waive the debt of farmers, he says it is not in their policy. He can forgive the loans of the industrialists, but not the farmers of the country," he added. He said that the chief ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have already been told to set up food processing unit for the farmers. "If given chance, we will enrich the farmers of Bihar too," said the Congress president. Gandhi congratulated the chief ministers of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for announcing a farm loan waiver immediately after coming to power. The CMs—Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and Kamal Nath—accompanied Rahul Gandhi to the rally in Patna. “If we come to power in the Centre, we will announce farm loan waiver across India,” the Congress chief said. Gandhi said Bihar, which was once a centre of education and was known for its standard of education across the world, has now become a centre of unemployment. "Youths across the world once aspired to study in Patna University and Nalanda University. Now, the universities can't grant students degrees on time. They even don't have professors." Referring to PM Modi, he asked, "What have you done for Patna University? What have you done for the employment of the youths of Bihar?" Gandhi announced that Patna University will be granted the status of central university once Congress comes to power. Bihar has the potential of being the centre of education once again, he added. The Jan Akanksha Rally was the Congress' first public meeting at Patna's Gandhi Maidan in nearly three decades. Congress is part of Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar which comprises of RJD, RLSP and HAM. Rahul Gandhi has all qualifications to be next PM: Tejashwi Yadav Speaking at the Jan Akanksha rally, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said Congress president Rahul Gandhi was qualified to be the prime minister. “You have all the qualifications to be the next PM. But the onus also lies in you and the Congress party to take along all the other parties,” Tejashwi said at the rally at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan in the presence of Gandhi. Reiterating that all like-minded parties should join hands to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections 2019, the RJD leader said Gandhi and the Congress would have to share the biggest responsibility to save democracy. Congress has the biggest responsibility to save democracy: Sharad Yadav Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav addressed the public rally in Patna and said Congress' biggest responsibility today is to save the democracy. "In the democracy, people are kings. The NDA government is responsible for lynching, communal disharmony in the country and the protests in the Northeast. Today, democracy is in danger. The biggest responsibility today is on Congress - the oldest party in India and Rahul Gandhi. I request all the Opposition parties to come together against the Modi government," Yadav said. Rahul Gandhi kept his promise to farmers with loan waiver: Kamal Nath Referring to the loan waivers in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, MP chief minister Kamal Nath said Congress president Rahul Gandhi has kept his promise by waiving loans of the farmers. But, Modi government which had promised to clean Ganga, has only cleaned banks, he added. Addressing the public gathering at Gandhi Maidan, Nath said that the people seen there have gathered to listen to Rahul Gandhi, to be present at the Congress' rally. "They were not brought. They came on their own," he added.
