“As the Prime Minister has recently said, if the farmers have suffered for so many years it is only because of the wrong policies of the NDA government supported by the TDP,” she said addressing a public meeting in this town in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh.

Describing the Union Budget’s loan waiver for farmers as a historic step, she said the decision would benefit crores of farmers in the country.

Dismissing criticism of the UPA government by the TDP, she said opposition parties did not do anything for farmers when they were in power.

“The TDP and BJP, which claim to care for farmers, have never thought of helping them by waiving their loans,” the Congress president said.

“What they are saying is sheer hypocrasy”, Gandhi said.