‘BJP destroyed the aspirations of farmers in the last four years’
Janata Dal (Secular) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy has claimed that B.S. Yeddyurappa and D.V. Sadananda Gowd had rejected his demand for waiver of farm loans.
Addressing a public gathering here on Wednesday, Mr. Kumaraswamy said his demand was in the backdrop of losses incurred by farmers following floods and drought.
“During the tenure of Mr. Yeddyurappa, I requested him to waive farm loans. He replied in an arrogant manner that the Union government had not given him machines to print currency. When I raised the issue with Mr. Gowda, he said he could not do it because the Union government had not given him adequate funds,” the former Chief Minister said.
Mr. Kumaraswamy claimed that during his tenure as Chief Minister, farm loans up to Rs. 25,000 had been waived.
“At that time, I neither had any machine to print currency nor had the Centre given funds. I managed it only with the taxpayers’ money. Why can’t the BJP government do it,” he asked.
“Farmers in the State voted the BJP to power thinking that they would solve their problems. But in the last four years, the BJP destroyed all the aspirations of the farmers with their corrupt administration,” he said. Mr. Kumaraswamy said under the pretext of developing industries, the government was taking away lands of farmers.
The primary beneficiaries of such projects were BJP leaders themselves as they bought land at cheaper rates and sold it to industrialists at higher rates.
Predicting that the government would fall by the end of the year, Mr. Kumaraswamy urged the people to vote for the JD(S).
Earlier, he visited the shrine of Hazrat Mastan Shah. Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, JD(S) State general secretary, was present.
