Senior BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar, on Sunday, has demanded the Congress government to issue “clearance” certificates to the farmers indicating that they no longer have any loans to pay, if it is really sincere about claiming success for the loan waiver scheme.
“Farmers can benefit only if the government gives clearance certificates as it will enable them to take future loans for education or other purposes. Otherwise, the loan waiver is a waste,” he asserted while talking to the media after inaugurating the Young Men’s Improvement Society building at Koti.
Farmers in Telangana have taken to the streets as they have been “cheated” with 70% not getting benefitted from the loan waiver scheme. “There is no clarity on the government’s part. First, it announced that ₹40,000 crore would be spent for the scheme, later it became ₹26,000 crore and now it says ₹17,000 crore was paid. When more than 64 lakh farmers have taken loans to the tune of about ₹70,000, the government should explain how the scheme is a success,” he asserted.
The Karimnagar MP stated that farmers have “taken to the streets” after they realised about being duped by the Congress government just like the previous BRS regime had with regard to the loan waiver. Farmers are now burdened with compound interest payments for the loans taken, he charged.
“Both Congress and BRS are doing drama to divert people’s attention about the implementation of six guarantees. The debate should be about when the ₹500 bonus for farmers, enhanced pensions, jobs for the unemployed, financial assistance and bikes for women, pay revision for employees and so on. Just free bus travel for women is not enough,” he said.
Instead, both the Congress and BRS leaders have been talking about joinings into the BJP, he added. “K. Chandrasekhar Rao (former chief minister and BRS chief) and K.T.Rama Rao lost people’s support while BRS is a corrupt, dynastic party just like the Congress. Where is the need for us to take their MLAs? It is the Congress government which needs MLAs to strengthen the Chief Minister’s position,” he said.
Mr. Sanjay Kumar was sure that a plan for the BRS legislature party to join the Congress Party had already been made in the near future. Both the parties are only “testing waters” to gauge the people’s reaction before taking the step by making accusations against each other, he added.
