Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the party will waive debts of Uttar Pradesh farmers within 10 days of forming a government in the state if it is elected to power in the 2017 Assembly elections. According to him, the Narendra Modi government has waived loans to the tune of Rs 1 lakh 10 thousand crore since it came to power in 2014. “If he can waive the debt of his corporate friends then why not of thousands of farmers,” Gandhi said, according to The Hindu.

Gandhi criticized the National Democratic Alliance government’s decision to merge the Railway Budget with the Union Budget from 2017. He said, “The BJP wants to finish off the Railway budget so that you do not get to know about how many new railway stations or railway lines you would get or how much would be spent on maintenance.” According to him, the Centre should also introduce a Kisan Budget. He said, “The Kisan Budget would ensure that farmers get a good price for their produce and give them clarity on their bonuses.” He was speaking at the last rally of the Deoria to Delhi Kisan Mahayatra in Lucknow. Senior Congress leaders Sheila Dikshit, Raj Babbar and Ghulam Nabi Azad were also present there.