(Rptg, under correct file name)
Malout, Punjab, July 11 (UNI) On a visit to the rural heartland of Punjab, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Wednesday sought to strike a chord with two politically sensitive communities - the farmers
and the soldiers and accused the Congress of betraying the agrarian sections.
"Our farmer brothers can now breathe easy, they can earn better, they can sleep peacefully because of higher MSP - raised by our government. But you know ....because of this the Congress is having sleepless nights now," Prime Minister said addressing a Kisan Kalyan Rally here in the Muktsar district.
"Ever since the government took the historic decision to hike MSP, the farmers are relieved. They are more confident in their produce now. However, the Congress and its allies have lost sleep. They cannot stand the fact that farmers in the country are sleeping well," he charged.
Speaking in presence of Haryana Chief Minister Manohor Lal Khattar and former Punjab Chief Minister and Parkash Singh Badal, Prime Minister said, the NDA government at the Centre has hiked the Minimum Support Price of Kharif crops by Rs 200 rupees per quintal for the benefit of farmers.
Mr Modi said his government has been also trying to change the lives of army personnel and soldiers through various schemes.
“I know why for years you could earn only 10 per cent profit on the cost of inputs incurred by you. I know what was the interest behind this. Farmers are the soul of our nation, they are our ‘annadata’, but the Congress always betrayed all of you," he said adding the Congress party has only told them them "lies" and used the grand old party as vote bank.
He said the Congress party was “only for one particular family” and focused chiefly on how to make them comfortable".
Prime Minister said, his government also cleared the long-pending One Rank One Pension scheme for the Army personnel.
Earlier, Mr Modi in a tweet said that the farmers of Punjab have made an invaluable contribution in the growth of the country's agriculture sector.
Notably, the rally comes in the backdrop of unprecedented increase in the Minimum Support Price for the Kharif crops announced by the government last week.
Prime Minister has also pledged his government's commitment to double farmers’ income by 2022.
Union Ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Vijay Sampla, Shiromani Akali Dal Chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Punjab BJP Chief Shwet Malik also attended the meet.
Prime Minister made a special mention about the Akali veteran Parkash Singh Badal and said his guidance has always helped the government in pursuing the pro-farmers policies and programmes.
UNI DEVN SHK 1852