Shivraj Chouhan accuses Congress of deceiving people of MP over farm loan waiver

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday accused the Congress government in the state of deceiving people over farm loan waiver, a promise made by the Congress during the Assembly polls held last year.

Addressing a press conference here, Chouhan said, "Rahul Gandhi had promised to waive loans of farmers of Madhya Pradesh within 10 days of the formation of the Congress government. It has been more than 3 months but farmers' loans have not been fully waived off."

While campaigning in Madhya Pradesh in the run-up to the polls held on November 28 last year, Rahul had promised to waive loans up to Rs 2 lakh of all the farmers if his party came into power in the state.

"The Congress has promised to waive loans worth Rs 48,000 crores. A total of Rs 5,000 crores were sanctioned in the budget, of which only 1,300 crores have been released to banks. This is how Congress is fulfilling its promise," Chouhan said.

Singh said farmers whose loans have been waived are anguished as the waiver sums up to as low as Rs 300.

Taking a dig at the Congress' recently-announced minimum income guarantee scheme, Singh said: "The fate this scheme is going to meet will be the same as that of farm waiver promises made to MP farmers."

In the run up to the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress president had announced a minimum income guarantee scheme whereby by the party would disburse an amount of Rs. 72,000 to 20 per cent of India's poorest families, if it comes to power in the Centre.