'Don't Have a House, Govt Took it': Rahul Gandhi Shares Meals, Conversations With Haryana Farmers | WATCH

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said farmers are India’s strength and that by listening to and understanding their perspective, many issues in the country can be resolved. In a candid conversation, the senior leader said he doesn’t have a house as the “government took it,” referring to vacating his official bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi after losing his Lok Sabha membership due to his conviction in a defamation case.

Gandhi shared a video on social media documenting his visit to paddy fields in Madina village, located in Sonepat, Haryana, on July 8.

The approximately 12-minute YouTube video shows his interaction with farmers and their families, engaging in activities such as ploughing the fields, planting paddy saplings and sharing a meal with the farmers on a string cot.

”Farmers are the strength of India,” he tweeted in Hindi, sharing a short clip from the video. ”In Sonepat, Haryana, I met two farmers — Sanjay Malik and Tasbir Kumar. They are childhood best friends and have been farming together for many years.”

”Together with them, we helped in the fields, sowed paddy, drove a tractor, and discussed many things. The women farmers of the village gave us love and respect like their own family members, and brought homemade food. The farmers of India are honest and sensible – they know their hard work and also recognise their rights. When needed, they stand firm against black laws and also raise their right for demands of MSP and insurance. If we listen to them, understand their point of view, many problems of the country can be solved,” Gandhi is heard saying.

During the conversation, a woman posed a question to Gandhi, asking him, “You have been inquiring about us, so tell us about yourself.” In response, the 53-year-old leader stated, “I am from Delhi.” When the women requested him to show them around Delhi and his own house, the Congress leader candidly replied, “I do not have a house, the government took it.

The Congress also said on Twitter, ”Farmers have a huge contribution in uniting India – the grains they produce are part of every plate of the country, but their ’tapasya’ does not get the respect it deserve”.

Sharing Gandhi’s video, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi met farmers and agricultural labourers taking forward his Bharat Jodo Yatra. “He spent time with them, listened to them and understood their struggles, problems and grievances,” he said.

”The farmers told him what kind of problems they face. Why farming has become more challenging than ever. How are they troubled by the ravages of inflation and who is benefiting from privatisation in the agriculture sector? ”They said they also have some dreams. They also want to give a good education to their children. But no help is forthcoming from the government,” Ramesh said in a tweet in Hindi.

”We salute the struggle of farmers and agricultural workers. We clearly believe that farmers are the backbone of our country. We should listen with respect and humility everything they say,” he said.

(With inputs from PTI)