Will replicate Chhattisgarh govt's pro-farmer 'model' across India: Rahul Gandhi

Raipur, Oct 29 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday helped some cultivators at a village near Raipur in harvesting paddy and said the pro-farmer "model" of his party's government in Chhattisgarh will be replicated across India.

Gandhi highlighted five schemes of the Congress government in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, including loan waiver and input subsidy, as best works in the interest of farmers.

"If farmers are happy then India is happy," Gandhi later said in a post on X.

He visited Kathiya village near state capital Raipur in the morning where he interacted with farmers and labourers and helped them in harvesting paddy, a party functionary here said.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Deputy CM T S Singh Deo accompanied Gandhi.

The Congress released pictures of Gandhi with farmers working in a paddy field and interacting with them.

After his visit, Gandhi posted the same pictures on his X handle and said, “If farmers are happy then India is happy! Five best works of Congress government for the farmers in Chhattisgarh, which made them the happiest in India. MSP on paddy Rs 2,640/quintal, Input subsidy of Rs 23,000 crore to 26 lakh farmers, Loan worth Rs 10,000 crore of 19 lakh farmers waived, electricity bill half, Rs 7,000/year to 5 lakh agricultural labourers. A model that we will replicate across India." All these schemes were launched by the Bhupesh Baghel government after the Congress came to power following the 2018 assembly elections.

Gandhi, who is on a two-day visit to poll-bound Chhattisgarh since Saturday, is scheduled to address two public rallies in Rajnandgaon and Kawardha constituencies on Sunday.

Polling to the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17. The counting of votes will be done on December 3. PTI TKP GK