The ruling Congress party’s promise to pay ₹3,200 for every quintal of paddy to farmers in poll-bound Chhattisgarh is just the “beginning”, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday, assuring voters that the amount would be hiked further.
Addressing a poll rally in Ambikapur, the constituency of Deputy Chief Minister T.S. Singh Deo in the tribal belt of Sarguja, Mr. Gandhi also alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party did not want tribals to “dream big” and was thus turning them away from English medium school education.
“We have announced that you will get ₹3,200 per quintal [of paddy], you can write it down. Five years [ago], I had said ₹2,500, and now I am saying that the beginning will be with ₹3,200… the beginning. That means it will start from ₹3,200 and will keep on increasing. Whatever the farmer needs, we will do whatever we can,” he said.
Raising the stakes
Paddy procurement prices and the allied promise to waive farm loans are critical issues in the elections, more so in the second phase on November 17 when the fertile areas of the State’s central plains go to the polls. Mr. Gandhi described the last loan waiver as the “biggest task” completed by the Congress government in its current term.
Seeking re-election, the Congress cited the ₹2,640 per quintal of paddy being paid by the government and promised to increase it to ₹3,000 during the initial phase of the campaign. The BJP countered, with the Centre claiming the credit for paddy procurement, and the party raising the stakes by offering ₹3,100 per quintal. The BJP also promised to buy 21 acres of the crop per acre, higher than the Congress’ promise of 20, forcing fresh calculations. The Congress then formalised a higher price, ₹3,200, in its official manifesto released two days after the BJP’s.
In his speech, Mr. Gandhi claimed that whatever promises he made were fulfilled, and accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying.
“The Prime Minister came here and told all of you that he will put in ₹15 lakh. It did not reach anyone’s bank account. He had said that black money would be recovered through demonetisation. It was said that the farmers would benefit from the Farmers’ Bill[s], but they themselves rejected the Bill. Farmers said the Prime Minister is lying, we do not want the Bill. You all know who tells the truth and who lies,” he said.
Vanvasi vs adivasi
Mr. Gandhi also slammed the BJP for using the term vanvasi (forest-dwellers) to refer to the tribal population, instead of adivasis (original inhabitants). Citing the incident where a BJP worker urinated on a tribal man in Sidhi in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress leader asserted that it reflected “the BJP’s mindset”.
“The term adivasi has a deep meaning. It expresses your rights to jal, jungle, zameen (water, forest, land). Vanvasi means those who live in the jungle. The BJP calls you vanvasi, we call you adivasi. The BJP snatches your rights, we give you rights. We hug you, BJP leaders urinate on you,” he added.
Questioning the BJP’s recent claims of education in native languages being beneficial for students in far-flung areas, Mr. Gandhi questioned why tribals could not send their children to English medium schools, though BJP leaders sent their own children to such institutions.
Dreaming big
“BJP leaders ask you not to learn English. We want the tribal youth to learn Chhattisgarhi, English, as well as Hindi... Ask BJP leaders which school they send their children to, English medium or Hindi medium. They all will say English medium. Their children can study in English medium schools and dream big, then why can’t tribal children do that? They don’t want your children to learn English, to dream big. Therefore they call you vanvasi... the word is an insult to you,” Mr. Gandhi said, adding that rapid deforestation would force tribal families to beg in the next ten to fifteen years.
Promising that a caste survey would be conducted from day one if the Congress came to power in Chhattisgarh, and promising a nationwide survey if the Opposition INDIA bloc won next year’s Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Gandhi questioned the Prime Minister’s claim that there was only one caste, the poor.
“So why do you call yourself an OBC? If there is only one caste, then who are the ones who are rich?” he asked.
The first phase of voting in 20 seats the Congress-ruled state was held on Tuesday, with the second phase for the remaining 70 seats slated for November 17.
