The Narendra Modi government has waived loans amounting to ₹1.4 lakh crore owed by 50 rich people, but it has refused to write-off ₹50,000 crore due from poor farmers, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday.
Addressing an election meeting here, Mr. Gandhi said, “I have myself seen the plight of poor farmers who are under tremendous debts. I met the ‘benevolent’ Prime Minister and urged him to waive the loans of farmers worth ₹50,000 crore, but he declined.”
Seeking to strike a contrast, he said the previous UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh had waived farmers’ loans amounting to over ₹70,000 crore within 10 days of coming to power.
Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completed more than two-and-half years in office, he has not made good on his “promise to give employment” for two crore youths every year .
He slammed the BJP and the BSP, and said only the Congress-SP alliance could bring development to U.P. “Five women’s universities would be established in the State, free coaching would be ensured for poor children, loans of the farmers would be waived off, and students of government schools would get ₹500 per month, while those who pass class 12th would get ₹30,000,” Gandhi said.
