Modi, Chouhan govts anti-farmer, says Congress' Surjewala

The BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Madhya Pradesh are anti-farmer and the state was witnessing a 21 per cent rise annually in cases of farmers' suicides since 2013, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Friday.

He further claimed that the Narendra Modi government had waived off loans of its "industrialist friends" but not that of farmers.

"We consider the governments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh to be anti-farmer," Surjewala told reporters here.

"If all is hunky dory in Madhya Pradesh, then why is there a 21 per cent annual rise in farmers' suicides since 2013," he questioned.

The Congress leader informed reporters that he was citing figures from the reply of Union Minister Purshottam Rupala that was tabled in Parliament on March 20 this year.

He said that while the Congress-led UPA government had waived off farm loans worth Rs 72,000 crore, the Modi government had written off debts of Rs 3.17 lakh crore of its industrialist friends.

Why is the government not waiving off loans of 62,000 farmers in the country, he questioned.

He reiterated the Congress' poll promise of farm loan waivers if it came to power in MP.

The state will go to polls on November 28 and votes will be counted on December 11.