Farmers real force behind Make in India: Rahul to Modi

Chandigarh: Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 'Make in India' campaign, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asked the central government to help farmers and labourers whom he termed as the real force behind making India.

In a brief interaction with media here before he took a flight back to New Delhi on Wednesday morning, Rahul said: "The prime minister talks about 'Make in India'. No one does more 'Make in India' than the farmers of Punjab. They have made this country stand (on food grains production)."

"When the poor do 'Make in India', is it not 'Make in India'? Is it something else?" Rahul said, while questioning the Modi government on the issue.

He also said that the central and Punjab government should help the farmers.

"Farmers and labourers are the country's spinal cord. The beginning (of Make in India) should be done from them," the Congress leader said.

Despite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and central ministers saying that Rahul's recent concern for the farmers was a "political gimmick", he said: "I will stand with the farmers and labourers where ever I find that they are being exploited. I will go there and raise their voice."

Rahul had travelled to grain markets in Punjab's Sirhind, Khanna and Mandi Gobindgarh towns on Tuesday in the second class general compartment of a train to interact with them about the problems they are facing with procurement and lifting of wheat stocks.

He criticised the Modi government and the Akali Dal-BJP alliance government in Punjab for being indifferent to the problems of farmers.

Farmers across Punjab are protesting the tardy lifting of wheat stocks.

They are blaming the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government for the procurement mess in the state and had blocked railway tracks in some places.

Rahul arrived in Chandigarh late on Tuesday and stayed here overnight before leaving for New Delhi on Wednesday.

He was accompanied by Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia