The BJP said on Thursday the Congress's claim of waiving farm loans in states ruled by it was a farce and alleged that the Rahul Gandhi-led party was waiving debts of its leaders in the name of farmers.
Addressing a press conference, Union minister Manoj Sinha said loan waiver promised by Gandhi is a "fraud" and a conspiracy to garner votes.
Asked whether the NDA government has any plans to waive farm loans across the country, Sinha said, "We do not support the policy that the central government should waive debts of farmers countrywide.
"We have been working to boost their income so that they could contribute more to the country's economy and themselves become economically strong to face challenges."
Sinha said the country's farmers have come to know about the fraud committed in the name of loan waiver by "Rahul Gandhi and company" and that they staged a demonstration against the Congress president in Amethi.
"The Congress's falsehood has been exposed. In the Congress-ruled states, loan waiver is a farce. It is nothing but a lie. It's a conspiracy to grab votes and nothing else," he claimed.
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Citing media reports, Sinha alleged that a "big scam" has been committed in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Punjab in the name of farm loan waivers.
Farmers are receiving notices for repayment of loan, they are being canned and warrants are being issued against them, he claimed.
"Thousand of people who have never taken loans have been shown under debt by Congress governments. Whereas, its leaders and their relatives are getting loan waivers though they are not eligible," he said.
He also claimed that the loans of Congress leaders who have farms measuring more than 8 acres are being waived when the limit is only 5 acres. The loan waiver limit is Rs 2 lakh but loans of more than Rs 4 lakh are being waived.
Attacking the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka, he said it has not waived loans of genuine farmers but has increased the rates of petrol-diesel and electricity.
"As a result, 397 farmers were compelled to commit suicide in Karnataka in the last six months," he claimed.
On the other hand, the BJP government has given one and half times of the MSP to farmers and has set a target of doubling their income by 2022.
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