Rahul consoles farmers' families in Telangana
Nirmal (Telangana), May 15, 2015: Walking briskly, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday covered 15 km in Adilabad district of Telangana to console families of farmers who committed suicide due to financial distress. The Congress leader completed his 'padyatra' in four hours, meeting five families in five villages in the backward district, about 200 km from Hyderabad. Despite being slightly indisposed, Rahul completed his walkathon 'Kisan Sandesh Yatra', which was attended by hundreds of party workers from across the state. The young leader launched the walkathon in the morning from Koratikal village, about four kilometers from here. Clad in a white kurta-pyjama, the Gandhi-scion walked with party leaders, including Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh and top functionaries of the party's Telangana unit. He met five families including a family of a person who returned from Gulf after being cheated by travel agent. The Congress leader provided financial assistance of Rs.2 lakh to each of the five families. At Koratikal, he visited the house of Velma Rajeshwar, a farmer who committed suicide on May 2 following huge crop loss. He also met the wife and children of the farmer and consoled them. As the family members spoke in Telugu, Uttam Kumar Reddy, president of Congress party's Telangana unit, helped Rahul in comprehending the problems faced by them. Accompanied by hundreds of leaders and workers, Rahul covered four kilometers to reach Laxmanchanda village where he met families of two farmers who committed suicide. He also visited the house of Bandla Linganna and consoled his widow and children. Sitting on the floor with the family members of the farmer, he enquired about their problems. Linganna's wife told the Congress leader that her husband committed suicide following huge crop loss and the resultant inability to repay Rs.5 lakh in loans he had raised from private lenders. Rahul, who gave a cheque of Rs.2 lakh to the family, advised her to ensure proper education of all her three daughters.