Punjab Congress today said it has decided to extend 'Karza-Kurki Khatam, Fasal Di Poori Rakam' campaign till November 4, after witnessing "huge demand" from farmers for "debt waiver" forms.
Around 10 lakh additional proformas (maangpatras) will be distributed in the next 10 days. More than 29.3 lakh forms have already been distributed so far, Punjab Congress said in a statement issued here.
Till date, more than 9,000 villages, including urban clusters, have been covered by the "mega farmer outreach campaign", which has left the Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) "shaken with its resounding success and extraordinary impact," it said.
"So much so that AAP, in a desperate bid to ape the Congress success, has come out with its own version of a debt waiver campaign, similarly involving filling up of proformas," it said.
The campaign, launched from Chandigarh by PPCC president Amarinder Singh, was kick-started on October 12 with 32 lakh "maangpatras" issued to 600 plus ticket aspirants of the party.
They were directed to establish mass contact with the farmers of the state and "their success would be a critical determinant of their chances of getting a party ticket for the upcoming Assembly election," the statement said.
A cumulative target of getting 25 lakh mangpatras filled across Punjab was set for the campaign, scheduled to end on October 25.
However, more than 29.3 lakh forms were filled up during this period. On an average, 25,000 households have been covered in every assembly constituency so far under the programme, it said.
Amarinder had also undertook a three-day bus yatra in the Malwa region, which is the "worst" affected by the agrarian crisis.
He had promised to waive farmers agriculture loans in Punjab if his party comes to power after 2017 Assembly election.
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