Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Adityanath government’s decision to waive farm loans was a step in the right direction, though “partial relief” for Uttar Pradesh farmers. He also urged the Narendra Modi government at the Centre to refrain from discriminating between states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party and those by Opposition parties, reported Mint.

“I’m happy BJP has finally been forced to see reason,” Gandhi said. “Let’s not play politics with farmers. The Central government must have a national response to widespread distress and not discriminate amongst states.” The Congress has been demanding loan waivers for farmers across the country for a while now. Gandhi’s statement came after the new government formed by the BJP in UP held its first Cabinet meeting on Tuesday and decided to waive loans worth Rs 36,359 crore. The decision is expected to help 86 lakh farmers.

The government has also decided to set up 5,000 centres for wheat procurement, set up a sports complex in Ghazipur, crackdown on illegal mining in the state. Adityanath has also formed a panel of ministers to tour states such as Gujarat and Maharashtra to come up with a new industrial policy to check the migration of state’s workforce.