Rahul Gandhi takes credit for Kumaraswamy’s loan waiver

While Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is going to town about having gone against all odds to waive off crop loans, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday took credit for it.

The loan waiver was a poll promise the JD(S) made, which Kumaraswamy was determined to fulfill despite heading a coalition with the Congress, which was not fully on board with the idea.

At the Janadhwani rally here, Gandhi said the loan waiver was the Congress’ poll promise to farmers. “We had promised that the first thing we’d do if the Congress came back to power in Karnaraka was to waive farm loans. As promised, the Congress waived Rs 31,000-crore loans,” Gandhi said.

“The government in Karnataka is for the poor. We will do what you ask for. You asked for a loan waiver and we did it,” Gandhi said, making no reference to the party’s alliance partner JD(S), whom he dubbed as the BJP’s ‘B team’ throughout his campaign before the Assembly elections.

“Karnataka has waived farm loans. The BJP, too, promised the loan waiver in its manifesto. If you have the guts, provide at least half the money that the state has waived,” Gandhi said, daring Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “But in Modi’s vision, he waives loans borrowed by 15-20 industrialists only. He’s the prime minister of only these 15-20 industrialists.”

Former chief minister Siddaramaiah said he “begged” Modi to bear half the cost involved in waiving farm loans from nationalised banks. “But he didn’t give a single paisa,” he said.

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader said Karnataka had earmarked Rs 28,000 crore last year and ₹30,000 crore this year under the SC-ST subplans. “I had challenged Modi to launch the sub plans at a national level if he was truly concerned about SC/STs,” he said.

Siddaramaiah said newly appointed KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao and working president Eshwar Khandre would lead the party into the Lok Sabha polls. “The BJP lied and misled people. This shouldn’t repeat in the Lok Sabha election.”