The Hindu : Gowda, V.P. Singh assail Centre's farm policies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 23, 2002

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National

Gowda, V.P. Singh assail Centre's farm policies

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI OCT. 22. The former Prime Ministers, H.D. Deve Gowda and V.P. Singh, today joined hands to take up the cause of farmers and threatened to launch a country wide agitation if the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance Government failed to address their problems.

Arriving here with hundreds of farmers from various parts of the country for a day-long dharna, Mr. Gowda, and a contingent of leaders from the Janata Dal (Secular), assailed the Government's farm policies.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Singh recalled that it was the Janata Dal which had taken a series of measures for farmers and criticised the NDA Government for opening up the domestic market for foreign farm produce.

The Vajpayee Government opened the doors for the import of farm produce, sacrificing the interests of farmers under pressure from the United States. Indian farmers could not be expected to compete with the farm produce from the West which enjoyed high subsidies.

He said that while banks and lending agencies were eager to provide credit to buy consumer goods at a low rate of interest, farmers were denied a similar facility. "You can buy a television or a washing machine with a loan of 11 per cent for your comfort but what rate of interest the toiling farmers have to pay for credit," he asked.

Mr. Gowda said a party delegation would soon meet the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and submit a charter of demands. "We will give the Prime Minister some time to take steps failing which, we would launch a nation wide agitation."

The Prime Minister was to receive the delegation today but the meeting was cancelled since Mr. Vajpayee was indisposed.

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