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Govt firm to bring FDI in retail: Rahul Gandhi
Terming the opposition as `anti-farmer`, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Friday came out openly in support of FDI in the retail sector.
Farrukhabad/Kannauj: Notwithstanding the
move to bring FDI in retail being put on hold in the face of
stiff opposition, Rahul Gandhi on Friday asserted the Congress-led
UPA government was determined to bring the proposed
legislation in Parliament.
Addressing a series of meetings in Uttar Pradesh, he said FDI in retail would be of immense help to farmers who could save their produce from rotting by taking advantage of cold storage chain that will come with FDI and get the right price. At a meeting in Farrukhabad, which is the largest potato growing district in the country, Gandhi said 60 per cent of vegetables go waste and FDI would provide a chance to the farmers to directly sell their produce.
On the fourth day of his five-day mass contact programme here, Rahul said "farmers are facing problems as 60 per cent of vegetables go waste.. we brought FDI in retail so that they could sell their produce directly".
But the opposition stalled the move in Parliament as they are "anti-farmer", he said.
At another meeting in Kannauj, Rahul, Congress general secretary, said while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and all opposition parties dourly resisted FDI in retail, the UPA government would certainly bring the legislation in Parliament. Rahul said when he on his way to Kannauj, some farmers showed him how pigs were eating potatoes littered on the road.
"After a year`s hard work, farmers have to see this situation", he said adding had FDI in retail been there the farmers would not have seen such "bad days".
The FDI in retail move had to be put on the backburner in the face of a united resistance from opposition parties and a section of UPA.
Rahul said the UPA government wanted to bring FDI in retail so that farmers getting the right price for their produce and save the crops from rotting by making use of cold storage chain and processing plants to be set up by foreign companies.
Rahul said farmers have complained that the the market price of potato is Rs 2 per kilo while the big companies sell the potato chips at Rs 10 per packet. The Congress MP from Amethi constituency said FDI in retail will benefit farmers and not harm them in the long run.
Rahul said a measure of how big a well wisher of farmers the Mayawati government in UP is can be had from the fact that a vast tract of land stretching from Noida to Gorakhpur has been allotted to private builders.
Those farmers who had opposed this had to suffer, he added.
Sharpening his attack on Samajwadi Party on its traditional stronghold, Rahul alleged that during the party`s rule in UP criminals used to rule police stations and no case used to be registered there.
The people then gave an oppurtunity to BSP which is "so corrupt" that money meant for development schemes in the state is being siphoned off, he allded.
Rahul said leaders of no other opposition party go to villages and meet the people there but ridicule him when he, along with his supporters, goes to meet them.
Rashid Masud, who recently quit SP and joined Congress, said he changed party because his plea for reservation for backward and poor Muslims was "rejected" by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Rahul said the Prime Minister would take a decision on reservation for Muslims whenever he feels appropriate to do so.
PTI
Addressing a series of meetings in Uttar Pradesh, he said FDI in retail would be of immense help to farmers who could save their produce from rotting by taking advantage of cold storage chain that will come with FDI and get the right price. At a meeting in Farrukhabad, which is the largest potato growing district in the country, Gandhi said 60 per cent of vegetables go waste and FDI would provide a chance to the farmers to directly sell their produce.
On the fourth day of his five-day mass contact programme here, Rahul said "farmers are facing problems as 60 per cent of vegetables go waste.. we brought FDI in retail so that they could sell their produce directly".
But the opposition stalled the move in Parliament as they are "anti-farmer", he said.
At another meeting in Kannauj, Rahul, Congress general secretary, said while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and all opposition parties dourly resisted FDI in retail, the UPA government would certainly bring the legislation in Parliament. Rahul said when he on his way to Kannauj, some farmers showed him how pigs were eating potatoes littered on the road.
"After a year`s hard work, farmers have to see this situation", he said adding had FDI in retail been there the farmers would not have seen such "bad days".
The FDI in retail move had to be put on the backburner in the face of a united resistance from opposition parties and a section of UPA.
Rahul said the UPA government wanted to bring FDI in retail so that farmers getting the right price for their produce and save the crops from rotting by making use of cold storage chain and processing plants to be set up by foreign companies.
Rahul said farmers have complained that the the market price of potato is Rs 2 per kilo while the big companies sell the potato chips at Rs 10 per packet. The Congress MP from Amethi constituency said FDI in retail will benefit farmers and not harm them in the long run.
Rahul said a measure of how big a well wisher of farmers the Mayawati government in UP is can be had from the fact that a vast tract of land stretching from Noida to Gorakhpur has been allotted to private builders.
Those farmers who had opposed this had to suffer, he added.
Sharpening his attack on Samajwadi Party on its traditional stronghold, Rahul alleged that during the party`s rule in UP criminals used to rule police stations and no case used to be registered there.
The people then gave an oppurtunity to BSP which is "so corrupt" that money meant for development schemes in the state is being siphoned off, he allded.
Rahul said leaders of no other opposition party go to villages and meet the people there but ridicule him when he, along with his supporters, goes to meet them.
Rashid Masud, who recently quit SP and joined Congress, said he changed party because his plea for reservation for backward and poor Muslims was "rejected" by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Rahul said the Prime Minister would take a decision on reservation for Muslims whenever he feels appropriate to do so.
PTI