Launching the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana in Chhattisgarh through video conferencing to mark the 29th death anniversary, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said this was a true tribute to the late Prime Minister.
The party also announced that instead of spending on advertisements to mark the occasion, it would spend the amount to help the migrants who have borne the brunt of the prolonged lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic .
“Such schemes should be implemented at the ground level to help bring a change in the lives of people. This is a revolutionary scheme and is a true tribute to Rajiv Gandhi. This is a big step taken in line with the values of Rajiv Gandhi,” Ms. Gandhi said.
The online event, however, was marked with several audio and video glitches that somewhat curtailed the party’s top leaders’ speeches.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the assured monetary assistance scheme will benefit 19 lakh farmers and help bring more area under cultivation. Landless labour and agriculturists would be covered in the next phase, he said.
Former party president Rahul Gandhi lauded Chhattisgarh for being the first State to transfer financial aid directly into the accounts of farmers.
“The Chhattisgarh government has set the example for the country on how to help people in the time of crisis,” he said at the launch event.
Mr. Gandhi also remembered his father as a “true patriot, liberal and who put the country on the path of progress and self-reliance with his farsightedness”.
“In memory of my beloved father, Shri Rajiv Gandhi, who was martyred this day in 1991. He was a wonderful father; gentle, kind, compassionate and patient. I miss him. But he will always stay alive in my heart and in the wonderful memories I have of him,” he wrote on Twitter
His sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra posted her last photo with her father and shared an emotional tweet.
“To be kind to those who are unkind to you; to know that life is fair, no matter how unfair you imagine it to be; to keep walking, no matter how dark the skies or fearsome the storm; to nurture a strong heart, and fill it with love no matter how great its sorrows; these are the gifts of my father’s life,” she tweeted.
