Rahul must do homework well before levelling allegations: Naidu

Taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi over his repeated attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said the Congress vice president should first do his homework well before levelling allegations on others.

"You never bothered to console those families at that time... neither the (AICC) president (Sonia Gandhi) nor the vice president (Rahul Gandhi), because your party was ruling at that time," Naidu told reporters here, citing National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data that 1.6 lakh farmers committed suicide in the last 10 years in the country.

"Now that you are out of power and you just came here (Rahul's tour of Telangana) for a one-day trip and criticised the Prime Minister, ministers and the State and Central governments," the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs said.

Stepping up the attack on Gandhi, Naidu questioned the UPA government on low compensation paid to farmers who had relinquished their land under land acquisition processes.

"What is that you (UPA government) have done. During your regime of 10 years, more than two lakh acres of <g data-gr-id="32">farm land</g> was acquired with a nominal compensation from farmers of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and also Harayana. It was done without giving adequate compensation. Now four times compensation is being given (by NDA government). You object to that. You must do homework before you make allegations against others," he said. He claimed that the Gandhi scion's facts and figures with regard to agricultural growth rate, farm credit, Amethi food park, <g data-gr-id="30">ban</g> on fishing, were wrong. "My suggestion is please do enough <g data-gr-id="33">home work</g> before making statements and that too before making allegations against others," he said.

Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his foreign visits, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said Modi’s schedule is in public domain and not a secret. Defending Modi against Congress’ barbs over his “frequent” foreign tours, Naidu said they were meant to attract investments for India and the PM is undertaking the visits as part of his national duty.