BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath formally launched the Jai Kisan Rin Mukti Yojana (farm loan waiver scheme) in Bhopal on Tuesday.

Responding to concerns raised the BSP national president Mayawati about the loan waiver scheme not covering the loans taken by farmers from private money lenders, the MP CM said, "I talked to BSP chief over phone in the morning to extend birthday greetings to her. I respect her feelings, we're planning to act against the money lenders in future. We're discussing what actions can be taken against the money lenders who have lent private loans to farmers, as we want to put an end to sahukar parampara (money lenders practice)," said Nath while interacting with journalists after launching the scheme.

Amid senior Congress leaders, like ex-CM Digvijaya Singh and minister in Kamal Nath government Sajjan Singh Verma claiming that senior BJP leaders in the state were luring Congress MLAs and allies to pull down the government, Nath said, "BJP should start worrying about their own house, rather than peeping into our house and forecasting about longevity of our government. I hope the BJP leaders understand clearly what I'm trying to say."

"I've been hearing from various quarters and reading in newspapers about various BJP leaders forecasting the life of my government, spanning from 15 days to the recent election of state assembly speaker. I don't want to comment on what those people speak who didn't have the guts to face us during the election of speaker in the Vidhan Sabha," Nath added.

"I've full faith in our Congress team as well as our allies," maintained Nath.

Various BJP leaders, including ex-CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava and BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya have been making claims about the life of Kamal Nath government not being too long.

But speculations are also rife in political circles about possibility of even some BJP MLAs (particularly those who joined the saffron party from other parties, including Congress) being in touch with Nath-led state Congress leadership.

Importantly, the Congress which won 114 seats in last year's assembly polls, had failed to win simple majority of 116 seats in the 230-members strong MP Vidhan Sabha on its own. It's survival is dependent on the support of two BSP MLAs, one SP MLA and four independents.

While expressing confidence that his government will complete full five years term, Nath said, "I'll give the entire account of my government's performance after five years. I demanded the same from the erstwhile BJP government in the state during last year's poll campaigning and appeal Prime Minister Narendra Modi also to give a detailed account for what his government did for the youths, farmers, traders and other sections during his five years regime." 

Earlier, Nath launched the farm loan waiver scheme that was one of the mainstays of the Congress' Vachan Patra (2018 assembly election manifesto). The scheme will cover loans up to Rs 2 lakh as on March 31, 2018 taken from cooperative banks, regional rural banks and nationalized banks.

"This scheme which will benefit 55 lakh farmers by waiving off their loans worth around Rs 50,000 crore is not a gift to farmers, but it's instead a much needed public investment to streamline the economic condition of farmers in the state," said Nath.

Over 80 lakh forms printed in three colours for different category of small and marginal farmers owning up to five acres land holdings will be distributed in all 52 districts, starting from Tuesday.

Close on the heels of the presidential nod to the constitutional amendment of 10% reservation to economically weak general category people and Gujarat being the first state to execute it, the MP CM Kamal Nath said "we're studying about what's the best way to implement it here in MP, as we don't want damage to any other section."