lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Feb 03, 2019 17:15 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack against the Congress on a number of topics ranging from Kartarpur Gurdwara to the loan waivers for farmers.

Speaking at a public meeting in Jammu, Modi launched his attack on the Congress with Kartarpur Gurdwara. “The previous governments had the tendency to ignore the necessities and sentiments of the country. Take Kartarpur corridor for instance. Had they paid attention, then the land of Guru Nanak Dev would have been a part of India,” he said.

Speaking of the Rs 6,000 assistance that is going to be provided to farmers, he said that when the Centre opened the Jan Dhan accounts for everyone, the opposition made fun of it. “Now they know how the Jan Dhan accounts are going to be used. In the near future, Rs 6,000 will be transferred to these accounts in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each. As much as Rs 75,000 crore will be transferred to the farmers’ accounts. This will not involve any middleman or broker. This will help the crores of small farmers who have never received any help from the government,” Modi said, while referring to the PM-KISAN scheme that was announced in the budget 2019 by finance minister Piyush Goyal.

Modi then moved on to the issue of the farm loan waivers, the plank on which the Congress defeated the BJP in the three Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. The Prime Minister targeted the Congress and termed farm loan waivers a “gimmick” just to win votes.

“The farmers’ debts don’t go away because of loan waivers. It only fattens the middleman’s pockets,” Modi said.

“Ten years ago, in 2008-09, the Congress promised loan waivers to the farmers. At that time, the outstanding debt was Rs 6 lakh crore. That was when the remote control government was in place. But after the elections, when they came to power, they only waived off debts worth Rs 52,000 crore. They cheated the farmers,” he said.

“When the CAG investigated the waivers, it found that there were 30-35 lakh people who did not need the loan waivers. You tell me, which was the hand that emptied the treasury? Who were these people? Where did that money go? You know the track record of the naamdaars,” Modi said.

Continuing his assault, he said, that those who had received the loan waivers are now again in debt.

“Today, ten years later, the Congress is again promising loan waivers to farmers. But what did they do in Madhya Pradesh? They promised loan waviers, but the farmers who deserve loan waivers have got cheques for only Rs 13. They have even waived off loans of those farmers who did not have loans,” he said.

He said that the Congress was going about doing the same in Rajasthan as well. “The Congress government in Rajasthan has said it can’t do it. They have no intention to waive loans. They are only fattening the middlemen’s pockets. These people cannot function honestly,” he said.