Rahul Gandhi’s tour of Adilabad for meeting farmers is being seen as nothing more than a publicity stunt by ruling TRS which has been saying that the suicides of farmers was also seen in regime of the UPA. Firebrand leader Harish Rao already declared that farmers’ suicides are taking place more in Telangana due to Congress history of misrule.
Congress rule in the state earlier
People feel that it might have continued during the Congress rule but the farmers have voted for TRS with a new hope and not to dismiss their suicides as mere legacy of Congress rule in the state earlier. One cannot downplay the situation in their own state that is deteriorating sharply.
It
has to remembered that although farmers deserted Congress in 1994 after
the Chilakaluripet police firing in AP in 1992, TDP’s inability from
1997 towards helping farmers resulted in a harsh lesson being taught to
the party. Moreover, Sonia’s tour in Ananthapur in 2003 to collect funds
and donate them to farmers who committed suicide was also a game changer
for Congress during 2004 elections.
Rahul Gandhi’s yatra as a gimmick
Hence instead of living in fool’s paradise and dismissing Rahul Gandhi’s yatra as a gimmick, TRS needs to make sure that it corrects mistakes from its end as the party is behaving as if farmer suicides are nonexistent and doesn’t deserve any importance. Even Naidu had written off Congress in 2003 only to bite the dust the next year.
