JOIN USState to decide on farm loan waiver soon, says Siddaramaiah
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday assured farmers that the state government would soon decide on waiving farm loans.
Addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone for various development works in Periyapatna, the Chief Minister said that he would wait for a few days for the Union government’s decision on agrarian loans and then announce the state’s stand.
“BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa has been stating that he would bring four lakh farmers to Bengaluru to pressure the state government to write off farm loans. First, let him convince Prime Minister Narendra Modi to waive farm loans. No BJP MP, including Shobha Karandlaje, has voiced their opinion in front of the Prime Minister,” he said.
Siddaramaiah said that Yeddyurappa has double standards when it comes to farmers issue. Recalling Yeddyurappa’s tenure as chief minister, Siddaramaiah said that, “When Congress leader V S Ugrappa asked Yeddyurappa, the then chief minister, to waive off farm loans in the Legislative Council, Yeddyurappa said that he had no note printing machine. The document is available in the Council. Yeddyurappa is a liar and is making false and baseless allegations against the state government for political gains. BJP MPs have not raised their voice on farm loan waiver in the Parliament.”
“Farmers in the state have obtained a total loan of Rs 52,000 crore, including Rs 42,000 crore from nationalised banks. Only 22% of the farmers have obtained loans from cooperative societies. If the state government waives the loans, only a few farmers will benefit. So, the Union government’s decision would play a significant role in this regard,” he said.
Minister for Major and Medium Irrigation M B Patil said that nearly 150 lakes have been filled with water only because of the efforts of the MLA and asked the supporters to make sure that Venkatesh wins with a margin of 50,000 votes. Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya promised to release more funds for various projects in the constituency and asked people not to forget to support Venkatesh.
Anjaneya also described Siddaramaiah as the second Devaraj Urs. The former chief minister is often described as the champion of backward classes. Minister for Health and Family Welfare K R Ramesh Kumar said that Venkatesh is a proficient man and voters should elect him.
‘Cong will retain power’
The Chief Minister expressed hopes of the Congress party winning a majority of the seats in the upcoming Assembly elections in 2018 and said that the BJP and the JD(S) cannot win the polls. He called upon voters not to trust both BJP and JD(S).