Kamal Nath

DHAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday fired a salvo at the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh , accusing it of reneging on its promise to waive farm loans “within 10 days of coming to power”.

Without naming AICC chief Rahul Gandhi , Modi told a rally here that the Congress chief had promised to “remove the chief minister” if the promise to write off agri loans within 10 days wasn’t fulfilled.

“I say with grief that not a single farmer of Madhya Pradesh has benefited. You will remember how they went door-to-door at farmers’ houses and asked for votes,” the PM said, adding it has been several months since Congress came to power but no loans have been waived. “The loan waiver has not happened, but the chief minister is the same,” the PM said.

The PM’s allegation came on the very day that the Kamal Nath government waived farm loans worth Rs 284.66 crore of more than 88,000 farmers in Vidisha. The Congress government says it has written off agri loans worth Rs 10,000 crore of 25 lakh farmers.

CM Kamal Nath issued a statement, criticizing Modi’s comments on the loan waiver. “We thought that he would rise above political differences and praise all the welfare work done by the Congress government in just 68 days. We thought he would hail how quickly we began waiving agri loans. If the PM wants to see the reality of loan waiver, he has to get out of this crowd of BJP leaders and meet farmers,” Nath said.

At Dhar, Modi stopped short of alleging corruption in Madhya Pradesh, but said, “They (Congress) have been hungry for last 15 years and now everybody has rushed in (to reap benefits).”

Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was more direct in his allegation and accused Congress leaders of “minting money through corruption”. “Instead of welfare schemes, the Congress is busy in transferring officers. Bring money and get postings is the mantra of the new government,” alleged Chouhan. Seeking a response from the crowd, he said: “After three months of Congress in power, do you remember mama now?”

He urged the crowd to bring a ‘censure motion’ at the rally, “deploring corruption by Congress” and for “failing to extend financial benefits to farmers as promised before assembly elections”.

