Loan waiver should not become fashion: Speaker

A day before Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s much-anticipated budget, Legislative Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Wednesday caustically remarked that loan waivers should not be “a fashion.”

Kumar’s remarks came when BJP member B Sreeramulu, while speaking on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address to the joint session of legislature, expressed disappointment that the Governor did not make any mention of the farm loan waiver that Kumaraswamy has promised.

“I’ve listened to many people talk about farm loan waiver. Nobody is talking about helping farmers repay the loans they have borrowed, ensure their produce get fair remuneration, pesticide is affordable, soil testing is done and things like that. Loan waiver shouldn’t become a fashion. It must be done, but what about the loan farmers borrow after a waiver?” Kumar said.

Sreeramulu accused Kumaraswamy of “changing track” after becoming chief minister. “He went from ‘I will waive loans within 24 hours of coming to power’ to now. He sought 15 days time to come out with a loan waiver plan, but it’s been more than a month. A mention of the farm loan waiver in the governor’s speech would have gone a long way in assuring our farmers who are in distress,” the BJP leader said.