Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday, 20 June launched a sharp attack on the Indian National Congress at a rally in Ichalkaranji, Maharashtra, accusing the party of neglecting farmers and challenging Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to account for the party's decade-long record on agricultural loan waivers. Shah claimed Congress managed only ₹60,000 crore in farm loan waivers across 10 years in government.

Shah's Challenge to Congress on Farm Loan Waivers

Addressing the gathering, Shah pointedly asked Gandhi how many farmers' loans the Congress-led government had waived during its tenure, asserting the figure stood at a mere ₹60,000 crore over a decade. By contrast, he said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had deposited ₹4.28 lakh crore directly into farmers' bank accounts over 12 years through 22 instalments under the PM-Kisan scheme.

Shah also highlighted a specific relief measure for sugarcane growers. 'For quite some time now, the country's sugarcane farmers have been demanding that no tax be levied on the profits coming from sugarcane factories, but no one was paying attention. However, in one swift move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi waived off income tax worth ₹46,000 crore, thereby giving a new dimension to the sugarcane mills,' he said at the rally.

Cooperative Sugar Mills and the Ethanol Push

Shah drew attention to the government's efforts to strengthen cooperative sugar mills in Maharashtra, noting that many such mills lack the financial capacity to independently set up ethanol production units. He said the Government of India is establishing a cooperative ethanol plant in western Maharashtra at a cost of ₹1,500 crore, with profits from all products to be returned to the participating sugar mills.

He added that the GST on ethanol had been reduced from 28 per cent to 5 per cent and that multi-feed plants had been set up to diversify production. These moves, he argued, have significantly improved the economics of the cooperative sugar sector.

Modi's Record and BJP's 2047 Vision

Shah described Prime Minister Modi as the longest-serving elected Prime Minister of India, stating that his 12 years in office have been marked by landmark decisions. He cited the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the construction of the Ram Mandir, the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, the development of Mahakal Lok, and renovation work at the Somnath Temple as defining achievements.

On national security, Shah said Modi had responded to terrorism through the Surgical Strikes, the Air Strikes, and most recently Operation Sindoor — which he described as action taken inside Pakistan against terrorism. He also claimed that Naxalism, a five-decade-old challenge, had effectively been eliminated, with peace now established across Ladakh, Lakshadweep, the Northeast, and Punjab.

'Modi ji's 12 years... it is a beginning. In the coming days, the BJP-NDA's rule will continue for many years. And the vision that Modi ji has envisioned, of building a fully developed India in 2047, that resolve will be fulfilled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alone,' Shah claimed at the rally.

Broader Claims on Governance and Development

Shah also pointed to progress in areas beyond agriculture, including an expansion of self-help groups and village women's committees, growth in startups, and what he described as a flourishing era of research and science. He contrasted this with what he called a period of terror attacks under a previous government whose leadership, he alleged, 'would not utter a word' in response.

With assembly-level political activity intensifying in Maharashtra, Shah's rally in Ichalkaranji signals the BJP's continued focus on consolidating the cooperative and farmer vote in the state's sugar belt ahead of future electoral contests.