Congress doubts BJP’s farm loan waiver commitment

‘While in power, it had refused to concede loan waiver demand’

Karnataka : Bengaluru , 31/07/2016 . Home Minister G Parameshwara addressing the press conference on Mahadayi drinking water issue in Bengaluru on July 31, 2016. Photo : K. Bhagya Prakash.

“What is the guarantee of the BJP implementing its promise of waiver of agricultural loans of farmers from nationalised and commercial banks up to ₹1 lakh?” said Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G. Parameshwara on Friday, drawing attention to the fact that the BJP while in power between 2008 and 2013 had refused to concede the demand.

In his reaction to the BJP’s election manifesto, he said the then BJP Chief Minister B.S. Yedyurappa had tersely said he does not have note-printing machines to grant the benefit to farmers affected by continuous drought conditions.

“We know the track record of the BJP government in the Centre and can list 10 major election promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that have not been fulfilled even after being in power for four years. This promise in the manifesto will be another

jumla

,” he said.

Dr. Parameshwara reminded the Prime Minister of his refusal to concede the demand of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, when the latter led an all-party delegation seeking waiver of ₹45,000 crore agricultural loans taken by farmers from nationalised and commercial banks, and said the State government announced waiver of cooperative farm loans to the tune of ₹10,000 crore to benefit 22.5 lakh families out of its meagre resources.

Dr. Parameshwara said the BJP government at the Centre had made an attractive promise of doubling the income of farmers without doing anything in the last four years and there was no guarantee that anything would be done this year.

The distress in the farm sector and the suicides of over 12,000 farmers were a stark reality, he said.