The Congress held a tractor rally that traversed the 80km stretch from Godda to Deoghar on Sunday to express solidarity with protesting farmers on the borders of Delhi with state agriculture minister Badal Patralekh promising to raise the Rs 50,000 farm loan waiver limit once the health of the state exchequer improved.
The party later said that over 1,200 tractors and close to 10,000 people took part in the rally.
Speaking at Godda’s Kargil chowk before the start of the rally around noon, Patralekh accused the Narendra Modi government of betraying the country’s farmers when he took a U-turn from his 2014 promise of waiving loans.
Tractors on the way to Deoghar from Godda as a part of the Congress rally on Sunday. Telegraph picture
Playing an old speech of Modi from one of his rallies during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Patralekh asked the gathering if anyone had received any waivers.
“Did any farmer here get loan waivers from Modiji which he had promised before coming to power in 2014? But despite poor resources, our government here has implemented a farm loan waiver scheme within the first year itself.
“Due to a funds crunch, we could manage to give waivers up to Rs 50,000 only. But we will increase it substantially once the financial condition of the state improves,” he announced and called on farmers to stand united and take on the Modi government for its wrong policies.
“Demands of our farmers are genuine. We stand by their demand to repeal all three farm laws. The new laws are anti-farmer and are intended to privatise agriculture,” he said in the presence of Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari, Poriyahat MLA Pradeep Yadav and close to 1,000 people, including party workers and farmers of Godda.
Patralekh’s attempt to further consolidate farmers in Santhal Pargana, Jharkhand’s tribal heartland, is also an attempt to keep the electorate happy in the run-up to the bypoll to the Madhupur Assembly seat that fell vacant after the demise of JMM minister Haji Hussain Ansari last year.
State Congress president Rameshwar Oraon, Mahagama MLA Deepika Pandey Singh and many others were present at Deoghar even as many others joined the rally en-route.
Congressmen address farmers at Deoghar on Sunday. Telegraph picture
According to Congress workers, more than 1,200 tractors and close to 10,000 people took part in the rally titled “Hul tractor rally” since it commenced from the land of freedom fighters Sidho Kanho who led the Hul rebellion marking the rise of tribal uprising against the British in Santhal Parganas.
Yadav said that Sunday’s tractor rally would similarly mark a farmer’s uprising from Jharkhand. “The farmers’ roar from this pious land will resonate in Delhi,” he said before driving a tractor bearing a giant poster of AICC leader Rahul Gandhi with Ansari and Patralekh seated in it.
The state BJP ridiculed the Congress’s efforts, saying it was shedding crocodile tears for farmers at a time when paddy procurement in the state had been derailed.
Part spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said, “The Congress is known for deceit and duping farmers. Congress in its election manifesto had announced farm loan waivers to the tune of Rs 2 lakh. But, in reality it is only Rs 50,000. They also promised Rs 2,500 as minimum support price but failed to do so. The situation is such that because of shoddy paddy procurement, farmers are forced to sell their produce to middlemen at throwaway prices.”
Congress dubbed the rally “historic” and “successful”. But there was blatant violation of Covid-19 safety norms as almost everyone. including MLAs. Weren’t wearing masks.
In Jharkhand, Covid seems to be on a downward trend with the total number of active cases standing at less than 600, according to a January 30 bulletin.