Modi kicks off 'Kisan Yojna', makes Lok Sabha pitch

Claiming his was the only government, that ''really'' cared for the farmers, prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday kicked off the ambitious 'Kisan Yojna'' and sought support from the people for a majority BJP government at the centre in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

''Only a strong government can take bold steps for the welfare of the people,'' Modi said while addressing a public meeting at Gorakhpur, about 275 kilometres from here, after launching the PM 'Kisan Samman Nidhi'' scheme.

The prime minister digitally transferred Rs. two thousand, the first installment of the scheme, into the bank accounts of over one crore farmers.

Claiming that his was the ''only'' government, that took care of the farmers in the true sense, Modi slammed the Congress governments for what he alleged ''fooling'' the farmers by promises of farm loan waivers.

''Congress remembers the farmers only at the time of elections.....it makes false promises of farm loan waivers in a bid to buy the votes of the farmers...after the polls it used to forget about it,'' he said asking the people to ''punish'' such parties in the forthcoming polls.

The prime minister said that his government had ''exposed'' the Congress by announcing a truly farmer oriented scheme. ''You (people) must have seen that their (read Rahul Gandhi) faces had turned pale, when the scheme was announced in the Parliament,'' he said.

Modi accused his political rivals of ''spreading'' falsehood about the 'Kisan'' scheme and asked the people not to believe any rumors in this regard.

''They (opponents) are now spreading falsehood....it seems they have learnt to lie since their birth,'' he remarked.

Earlier Modi also interacted with the farmers from different parts of the country, who had arrived at Gorakhpur to take part in the two-day Farmers' meet. Modi also listed the achievements of his government during its tenur