Rahul Gandhi announces slew of promises in poll-bound Gujarat

Free electricity, farm loan waiver up to ₹3 lakh, LPG cylinder for ₹500 among election promises

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday announced a host of promises including free electricity, farm loan waiver, compensation to Covid-hit families, 10 lakh new jobs and 3,000 new English medium schools for the people of Gujarat, if the Congress is voted to power in the State. 

Assembly election is scheduled for the State in December. Addressing Congress booth workers at a rally in Ahmedabad, Mr. Gandhi also promised to provide gas cylinder for ₹500, subsidy to dairy farmers and free education to girls. 

“The BJP government in Gujarat will waive loans of top industrialists, but have you ever heard of them waiving loans of farmers? I promise to waive loans of up to ₹3 lakh for each farmer after we come to power in Gujarat,” he said to thunderous applause from the crowd, mainly party booth workers gathered from across the State. 

Taking on the BJP government in the State, Mr. Gandhi stressed that the Congress follows the ideology of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who worked for farmers, built institutions like Amul and fought colonial powers. 

“Wherever we came to power, we said our first job will be to do what Sardar Patel would have done. And here, too, we will waive the loan of ₹3 lakh of farmers as Sardar Patel would have done contrary to BJP which writes off the debts of a few industrialists,” he said. 

“For who did Sardar Patel fight for and why? Sardar Patel was not just a human being. You built the statue of his body, but he was not just a human, he was the voice of the farmers of Gujarat and India. Whatever he said was for the benefit of the farmers of Gujarat and India,” Mr. Gandhi said as he tried to contrast the BJP’s ideology with that of the legendary freedom fighter. 

His 30-minute speech was sprinkled with references of Sardar Patel saying he gave voice to the farmers against the colonial powers while the BJP government tried to bring the farm laws “that were anti-farmer” and the government was forced to repeal them.