My govt waived off loans of 26 lakh farmers, says former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath

Madhya Pradesh Congress president and former chief minister Kamal Nath on Sunday said his government had waived off loans of 26 lakh farmers and challenged the current BJP dispensation in the state to prove his claim wrong.

He was addressing a public meeting in favour of Congress candidate Premchand Guddu from Sanver in Indore district.

Bypolls are needed in 27 Assembly seats in the state, though no date has been announced for them as yet.

"My government waived off the loans of 26 Lakh farmers of the state. I openly challenge (MP Chief Minister) Shivraj Singh Chouhan and (Congressman-turned-BJP Rajya Sabha MP) Jyotiraditya Scindia to refute this claim," he said.

Hitting out at Scindia, Nath said the former used to praise the farm loan waiver scheme when he was with the Congress but was now criticising it.

Scindia's defection to the BJP and the resignation of 22 of his loyalist MLAs brought down the Nath government in March.

Accusing Chouhan of making fake announcements as CM, Nath claimed he never did so while he occupied the top post.

"I want to ask the public what sin did my government commit by waiving off farm loans, bringing in investment and taking on the mafia?" Nath asked.

He said the Chouhan government in the state was harassing and suppressing Congress workers and warned officials "not to roam with BJP badges in their pockets".

Accusing the BJP of throttling democracy while bringing down his government, Nath said the architect of the Constitution Babasaheb Ambedkar might never have imagined that such "politics of bargaining" would take place in the country.