Where does PM stand between Gandhi and Godse: Congress on PM's Maharashtra visit

With PM Narendra Modi visiting Maharashtra's Wardha, the Congress on Friday, 29 September posed questions to him asking where does the PM stand between Mahatma Gandhi and Nathuram Godse.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed three questions to the prime minister as he headed to Wardha.

"What is the BJP doing to prevent farmer suicides? Why has the BJP let down Adivasis in Forest Rights Act implementation? Where does the PM stand between Gandhi and Godse?" Ramesh said on X.

Elaborating on what he said were "jumla details", Ramesh said that on an average day in Maharashtra, seven farmers take their own lives.

This heartbreaking statistic comes from the state's Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation, who reported that 2,366 farmers died by suicide between January and October last year, he said.

"The reasons are evident: 60% of districts faced drought conditions last year but no help arrived from the government. When crops were damaged by unseasonal rains in more than half of the state, farmers were extended loan waivers, but 6.56 lakh farmers were deprived of this relief due to software glitches," he said.

In the face of this state-sponsored callousness, the Congress has consistently guaranteed farmers MSP as per the Swaminathan Committee's recommendation, a farm loan waiver with a Permanent Commission set up to implement it smoothly, and settlement of all crop insurance claims within 30 days, Ramesh said.

What is the BJP's vision to support Maharashtra's and India's farmers, he asked.

He further said that in 2006, the Congress had passed the revolutionary Forest Rights Act (FRA) which granted Adivasi and forest-dwelling communities legal rights to manage their own forests, and economically benefit from forest produce they collect.

The BJP government, however, has obstructed the implementation of the FRA, depriving millions of Adivasis of its benefits, he alleged.

"Only 52% (2,06,620 claims) of the 4,01,046 individual claims filed have been granted, and land titles distributed cover only 23.5% (11,769 sq. km) of the 50,045 sq. km eligible for community rights," he said.

Why has the BJP government in Maharashtra "failed" to provide Adivasi communities with their rights, Ramesh asked.

The Congress leader pointed out that Wardha is the city where Mahatma Gandhi once lived and alleged that the Mahatma's ideals are under "concerted assault today, by the PM's own party".

"Some of his leaders have abused and ridiculed the Mahatma, and others have said they are unable to choose between Godse and Gandhi. Gandhian institutions across the country from the Akhil Bharat Sarva Sewa Sangh in Varanasi to the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat have faced demolition and takeover by the RSS and its affiliates," he alleged.

Affiliates of the Sarva Sewa Sangh in Varanasi are currently on a 100-day fast to protest the Government's "bludgeoning of this hallowed institution", he said.

"Does the non-biological PM have any defense of his party's actions? Where does he stand in choosing between Gandhi and Godse?" he said.