2 min readAhmedabadFeb 16, 2026 04:22 AM IST
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of “spreading lies and misleading farmers” over India’s trade deals with the European Union, United Kingdom and the United States, asserting that the Narendra Modi government has fully safeguarded the country’s agriculture and dairy sectors.
Giving an assurance to fishermen, cattle-rearers and farmers of India, Shah added that PM Modi can never compromise with their interests.
Shah was addressing a gathering in Gandhinagar after inaugurating a pilot project of Central Bank Digital Currency-based Public Distribution System and launching a grain ATM – Annapurti.
“Congress has a history of misleading people by speaking lies. It just makes me laugh: in the Parliament of this country, the sahabzade of Congress Rahul Gandhi talks about farmers,” Shah said. “Today, I want to ask them how much grains they bought from farmers during the 10 years of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government. And 10 years of Narendra Modi government. We have bought 15 times more grains on MSP from farmers than you. In your times, the budget for farmers was just Rs 26,000 crore. And Narendra Modi has increased this budget to Rs 1.29 lakh crore. Once in 70 years, by giving a handheld toy of loan waiver, you misled the farmers. Modiji is creating a system by depositing Rs 6000 in the account of every farmer every year so that they do not have to take loan,” the Union Minister said.
Accusing the Congress and Gandhi of spreading lies on trade deals with the EU, the UK and the US, Shah challenged him to debate the issue publicly. “I want to challenge Rahul Gandhi: choose a platform, even a youth morcha president of BJP will debate with you on who has harmed farmers and who has worked for their welfare.”
