Mumbai: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday undertook a 15-kilometre day-long padyatra in Amravati district of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region. Maharashtra is one of the states that experienced severe agrarian crisis and Amravati division in Vidarbha region has witnessed many suicide cases of farmers this year.


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Here are the updates:


  • In Haryana, a minister said that the people (farmers) which I met are cowards - that is why I came here - Rahul Gandhi
  • How can I assure farmers, we will try to help farmers through the party. Our capacity is not big enough to help all the farmers – Rahul Gandhi
  • There's feeling of abandonment among farmers – Rahul Gandhi
  • The governments of Maharashtra and at the Centre are ignoring farmers - Rahul Gandhi
  • General feeling among farmers is that, the help which should be given is not being given - Rahul Gandhi
  • Those who are committing suicide, is because they are not able to pay back their loans - Rahul Gandhi
  • I had come to Vidarbha earlier too, but have not seen a situation like this - Rahul Gandhi This government is only of few industrialists, not of farmers - Rahul Gandhi
  • We are with the farmers of Maharashtra - Rahul Gandhi
  • Some days ago, Agriculture Minister said in Parliament that only three suicides have taken place - Rahul Gandhi
  • The MSP has not been increased, bonus is not being given - Rahul Gandhi
  • The biggest problem of farmers is of loans - Rahul Gandhi
  • Rahul Gandhi is speaking to reporters after concluding his 'sanvad padyatra' in Amravati district of Maharashtra.
  • PTI reports that the padyatra has witnessed the participation of a large number of Congress workers, particularly from the Youth Congress, who waved the party flag, banners and posters while walking along with Rahul under a scorching sun.


  • Nearly 171 farmers have committed suicide from 2006 to 2014 in Dhamangaon taluka of the district, villagers informed Rahul.
  • Farmers thanked Rahul for opposing the Land Acquisition Bill, 2015, in Parliament and said that there were apprehensions that agricultural land would be acquired for businesses.


  • Farmers also drew Rahul's attention to the damage their soya crop has suffered in the unseasonal rainfall. Soyabean prices have crashed heavily due to the damages, a farmer said.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi meets distressed farmers during 'kisan padyatra'


  • Some of the farmers told the Congress leader that pesticides and fertilisers were being supplied to them at high prices even though the cost of production of such items was quite less.
  • In Hirapur village, Rahul was told by farmers that insurance companies were engaging in fraud and that the requisite compensation was not paid to them for crop loss. "Insurance companies were only selecting sample areas for giving compensation while the rest of the farmers were being deprived by them of the benefits due," the villagers alleged.


  • Most of the farmers who met Rahul today have apprised him of the existing situation. INC reports on its Twitter handle that farmers have told the Congress vice president that they have not received any compensation for the crop damage suffered.


  • Rahul Gandhi is now meeting with farmers in Hirapur village of Amaravati district.  



  • The Bharatiya Janata Party has dubbed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's 'kisan padyatra' as 'repentance yatra', saying that he should repent for the failure of the policies which were not implemented during his party's regime in Maharashtra.


  • “His (Rahul) government was in power in Maharashtra for 15 years, he is also answerable for the condition of farmers in last 15 years,” says Fadnavis, referring to the Congress-NCP government which was ousted from power last year.
  • Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has spoken on Rahul Gandhi's foot march. “Rahul ji has every right to meet farmers and review the situation. It's good that he's looking into farmers' concerns,” Fadnavis told reporters.

Also Read: BJP dubs Rahul Gandhi's 'kisan padyatra' as 'repentance yatra'


  • “We requested Rahul Gandhi to get us government jobs and give us economic help. So, he has said that he will try to do something,” Kamble tells ANI after meeting the Congress vice president.
  • Rahul Gandhi meets with family members of distressed farmer Amit Kishore Kamble during his padyatra in Amravati.



  • Rahul also interacted with farmers in Kunha village during his padyatra.
  • Rahul is now marching to Shahpur village, five kilometres from Gunji.
  • Rahul also met a group of children from orphanges in Gunji and interacted with them briefly.


  • In Gunji, Rahul meets family members of farmers Nilesh Walke and Ambadas Vahile who had committed suicide recently.
  • Rahul Gandhi is interacting with farmers along the route of his padyatra. He can be seen entering farmers' homes and chatting with them.
  • ​Rahul Gandhi has begun his 15-kilometre day-long padyatra from Gunji village. The aim of the foot march, being undertaken in Amravati district, is to highlight the agrarian crisis in Vidarbha region.  


  • Rahul Gandhi has reached Gunji village from where he will begin his padyatra.  
  • A day before on Tuesday, the Congress vice president had travelled to grain markets in Punjab's Sirhind, Khanna and Mandi Gobindgarh towns in the second class compartment of a train to interact with farmers about the problems they are facing with procurement and lifting of wheat stocks. He had criticised the Modi government and the state government for being indifferent to the problems of farmers.
  • On Wednesday, Rahul took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on problems in the agricultural sector, asking him to visit Punjab and learn about the plight of farmers who are integral to the government's flagship 'Make in India' initiative. The government hit back, asking him to visit his own constituency first.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi in Parliament, asks him to meet farmers


  • Ahead of Rahul's visit, a farmer named Gajanan Sheshrao Khongal allegedly committed suicide by jumping into a well in Morshi tehsil of the district on Tuesday.
  • Maharashtra is one of the states that experienced severe agrarian crisis and Amravati division in Vidarbha region has witnessed many suicide cases of farmers this year.
  • The Congress scion is being accompanied by Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan and other senior state Congress leaders.
  • Rahul will visit five villages between Gunji to Ramgaon and will meet the farmers who have suffered crop losses due to unseasonal rain.
  • Rahul spoke to the people who greeted him and sought to know their problems and the issues affecting them.
  • On the way to Gunji, people were seen lined up on roads at Kondhali and Talegaon villages to greet the Congress leader. Rahul stopped at Talegaon for some time, before proceeding to Gunji.
  • Rahul, who had arrived in Nagpur Wednesday night, left this morning for village Gunji to begin the foot march dubbed as 'sanvad padyatra'.


  • During the padyatra Rahul will meet farmers and families of those farmers who have committed suicide. He will discuss with them the agrarian crisis and also ways to help them tide over the problem.
  • Rahul Gandhi will shortly begin his 15-kilometre day-long padyatra in Amravati district to highlight the agrarian crisis in Vidarbha region. The 'padyatra' is part of Rahul's programme to reach out to the farmers in distress in various states.