CHANDIGARH: Former Shiromani Akali Dal minister
Bikram Singh Majithia on Thursday attacked the
Punjab Congress leaders of hijacking the proposed
crop loan waiver by ignoring genuine recipients. He condemned the state government for pasting lists of indebted farmers in villages and subjecting them to
social and mental torture.
Majithia accused Congress legislators of preparing lists of crop loan waiver beneficiaries at their residences and in booting out small and marginal farmers from the proposed scheme. "Farmers themselves have exposed this fraud by revealing how Congress favourites have been included in the scheme even as eligible indebted farmers with less than five acres have been kept out. There are also accusations of Congressmen demanding bribes from indebted farmers to include their names in the beneficiary list," said Majithia in a statement.
The former minister said the
current crop loan waiver scheme was fraud as the government had reduced the number of beneficiaries from 10 lakh to 2 lakh. "Now it has come about that there is a scam even in this wherein even marginal farmers with 2.5 acres and farm labourers have been kept out of the scheme," he added.
