Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi boarded a train to Khanna and Gobindgarh in Punjab, on Tuesday, to take stock of the State’s grain markets.

Khanna is considered Asia’s largest grain market. Rahul Gandhi’s visit comes at a time when farmers in the region have accused the government of tardy wheat procurement.

The State has also witnessed suicides by farmers.

Speaking to reporters while boarding a train at New Delhi Railway Station, Gandhi said, “I have been told that the situation is very bad. So I want to see it with my own eyes... I am going to Punjab. I had also stated in my speech (in Parliament) that those who provide grains to the country, food to the country… from them their land is being snatched. This is wrong and we will counter it.”

The Congress has been raising the issue locally as well. Congress leader Amarinder Singh had, on Monday, suggested that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal stage a demonstration along with his ministers outside the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Office to seek his attention on farmers’ issue.

After visiting grain markets of Patiala and Khanna, had said, “If the PM is not giving time to Badal, he should better stage a dharna instead of loitering around and issuing hollow threats to seek his attention.” Gandhi’s visit to Punjab is significant not just as part of the ongoing exercise by the Congress Vice-President to identify with the farmers, rural distress and link it with the new law on land acquisition.

The visit is important also because the Congress’s State unit is facing a serious factional fight between Amarinder Singh and State Unit President Pratap Singh Bajwa. Amarinder Singh has expressed doubts about Rahul Gandhi’s leadership and advocated Sonia Gandhi’s continuation as Party President.

Bajwa, on the other hand, is strongly in Rahul Gandhi’s favour. Sources in the party also say that Amarinder Singh, possibly the tallest leader in the State unit who defeated Finance Minister Arun Jaitley from Amritsar, is straining to split the Congress in Punjab and create a regional outfit.

Rahul Gandhi’s effort would be to soothe feathers and retain strong leaders like Amarinder Singh while he validates his own leadership through a mass contact programme.

The visit to Punjab is precursor to the Kisan Padyatra that Gandhi will undertake next month to reach out to farmers in the backdrop of the agrarian crisis.

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