The Congress on Wednesday alleged massive fraud in the Prime Minister’s Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna, saying a survey of two villages in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar had exposed fake beneficiaries and brazen loot.

Uttarakhand Congress chief Pritam Singh said at a news conference in Delhi: “The survey found that at least 185 beneficiaries of the scheme in two villages were fake. While several people who got the Rs 2,000 dole didn’t own any land, many others could not be located and identified, suggesting forgery. Some beneficiaries were government employees. You can imagine the extent of fraud nationwide if loot is happening on this scale in two villages.”

The Prime Minister had held a big event last week for the transfer of the latest instalment in farmers’ accounts under the scheme to project his concern for farmers.

Pritam Singh said the three new farm laws were aimed at helping the corporates and asked why the Essential Commodities Act was amended to allow hoarding.

Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja, who also addressed the news conference, said: “It is sad that the government is holding negotiations merely as time-buying tactics to tire out the farmers. The year 2020 has been very bad for Indians because of corona and economic recession. We request the Prime Minister to make a new beginning by scrapping the three laws in the new year.”

Selja said: “The government should start thinking of the poor instead of helping the rich and the corporate. It is not the government’s job to facilitate profiteering. Take steps to help the farmers, to stop hoarding, to ensure that the poor doesn’t suffer. How can the Government announce that the Prime Minister won’t come under pressure and still hold negotiations? How can the Government declare that there won’t be any rollback if the firman is made once. That’s not how we work in democracy.”

In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi posed a question and gave four options: “Modi is refusing to repeal the anti-farmer laws because he is: 1. Anti-Farmer 2. Run by crony-capitalists 3. Arrogant 4. All of the above.”

Rahul also highlighted the Prime Minister’s track record with this tweet: “Rs ‘15 lakh in every bank account & two crore jobs every year’, ‘Give me 50 days time, else...’ ‘We will win war against Corona in 21 days’, ‘Neither has anyone intruded into our territory nor took over any post’. Farmers don’t trust Modi ji due to his long history of ‘asatyagraha’.”