Rajasthan Assembly adjourned briefly over farm loan waiver issue

The Rajasthan Assembly was adjourned for half an hour on Friday following an uproar in the House as the opposition BJP sought clarity from the ruling Congress over the farm loan waiver order.

On December 19 last year, two days after being sworn in, the Congress government in Rajasthan waived short-term crop loans from cooperative banks and loans of up to Rs 2 lakh taken by farmers from other banks.

In the run up to the assembly elections, the Congress had promised to waive the farm loans in Rajasthan within 10 days of coming to power.

Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria dubbed the state government's loan waiver order as "handicapped" and claimed it was creating confusion among the farmers.

Kataria asked Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to specify how many farmers had benefitted from the loan waiver and how much money had been deposited in their bank accounts so far.

"What was the purpose of bringing out a 'handicapped' order? It should be clarified how much money was deposited in the farmers' bank accounts as the government had promised to waive the loans in 10 days," the BJP leader said.

Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore asked the government the date when the funds will be deposited in the bank accounts of the farmers and said rhetoric will not suffice.

Responding to the opposition, Gehlot said the government had taken a decision and its implementation will take time.

The government's intention is that maximum farmers benefit from the loan waiver, he said.

The chief minister said a committee had been formed to decide the eligibility criteria and his government had also written to the Centre to help the state get the farmers out of financial crisis.

Gehlot attacked the BJP for describing the order as "handicapped".

"I object to the opposition terming the government order as 'handicapped'. Order can never be handicapped but it thinking of the opposition. Our ideology and policies are clear," he said.

Following Gehlot's reply, the opposition MLAs raised slogans and trooped into the Well of the House, alleging that the Congress' 10-day promise was deceiving.

Amid the din, Speaker C P Joshi adjourned the House for half an hour.