Congress plans yatra in Raje’s ‘fort’ over farm loan waiver

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Congress would undertake a 'Kisan Nyay Yatra' in chief minister Vasundhara Raje and her Parliamentarian son Dushyant Singh's constituency areas from October 3 to 6 to demand complete farm loan waivers.

Congressmen under party state president Sachin Pilot would walk nearly 100-km in four days from Baran to Jhalawar to highlight farmers' plights and place their demands before the Raje-government.

"Farm loan waiver in entirety is our main demand from the BJP government. Forming committees or limiting loan waivers to Rs 50,000 is unacceptable to us," Pilot said, referring to a recent agreement signed between the state government and the CMP leaders.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Pilot said, "Uttar Pradesh too announced loan waiver for farmers but it turned out to a joke, as the amounts waived were Re 1 or Rs 5 or Rs 100. We do not want such a deceit to be replayed in Rajasthan, so will not accept anything less than waiving the entire loan amounts."

On September 1, ex-MLAs Amra Ram, Pema Ram and others from CPM launched a major agrarian agitation that was centered in Shekhawati districts but spread to other parts of the state by September 13, forcing the Raje-government to sign an agreement with the farmer leaders that a committee is proposed to be constituted to examine the demand on farm loan waiver.

Many in the Congress felt the CPM snatched away the farmers' issue from it by organising the protest at the right time while the top Congress leaders just kept talking about these issues at press conferences. "The Kisan Nyay Yatra is being organised now to make up for that lost opportunity," said a senior PCC office-bearer.

Leader of Opposition Rameshwar Dudi said, "State government has cheated the farmers with just assurances. BJP says something but does another thing. We will corner the government in the assembly too during the monsoon session on farmer issues."

Pilot claimed that at least 75 farmers in the state have committed suicides under the BJP government. "The government is still sleeping. Through Kisan Nyay Yatra we will expose how BJP goes back even on its written commitments," said Pilot.

Besides the loan waiver, other demands that the Congress would raise during the Kisan Nyay Yatra include giving 50% profit on MSP to farmers, bonus on all crops, exempting farming equipment from GST, bringing cumin seeds (jeera), coriander (dhaniya) and psyllium husk (isabgol) under the MSP purview and amendment in the essential commodities Act.