Baghel Promises Farm Loan Waiver, Hopes to Reap Rich Harvest in Chhattisgarh Assembly Polls – News18

In a major announcement ahead of the next month’s assembly polls, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel on Monday said if his party Congress retains power in the state, loans of farmers will be written off.

The Congress had made a similar promise ahead of the 2018 assembly polls to farmers, a move which contributed to the party recording a landslide win and ending the 15-year rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Baghel government had earlier said it fulfilled the 2018 promise and waived agriculture loans worth Rs 9,270 crore for 18.82 lakh farmers in the state.

Addressing a function in the Sakti assembly constituency with just a fortnight left for the first phase of polling, the CM urged people to re-elect the Congress to power so that the party’s government write off loans of farmers as it did after victory five years ago.

“The (opposition) BJP is yet to make any announcements for farmers, labourers, women or youths. (Party leader) Rahul Gandhi ji announced that a caste census will be conducted (if Congress retains power in Chhattisgarh). (Another Congress leader) Priyanka ji promised to provide houses to the poor. We have already announced that we will buy 20 quintals (per acre) of paddy from farmers,” he said.

The ruling party had earlier made three key promises — caste census, procurement of 20 quintals of paddy per acre and houses for 17.5 lakh people — if it is re-elected to office.

“Today, I want to make an announcement from this stage — farmers’ loans will be waived if you elect the Congress to power again,” Baghel said without providing details of the proposed measure.

“We will give many more guarantees, he assured.

Hitting out at the BJP, Baghel warned that if the saffron party comes to power by “mistake”, then neither 20 quintals paddy per acre will be procured nor Swami Atmanand schools will be operated.

Last year, the Chhattisgarh government decided to open 32 Swami Atmanand Government Hindi Medium Schools for the academic year 2022-23 on the lines of English medium ones.

“The BJP will stop all welfare schemes of the incumbent Congress government, including cow dung procurement programme,” he cautioned at the gathering.

Later, talking to reporters in Raipur, Baghel justified the loan waiver announcement and said the country’s economy gains strengthen when farmers become empowered.

Queried about the need for a fresh loan waiver when farmers are already getting input subsidies under the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojna, the CM said, When farmers become empowered, the country’s economy will be strengthened.

“In the last five years, we saw business and trade grow in Chhattisgarh and there was no impact of economic slowdown. The money which went into accounts of farmers has reached the market but if big businessmen are given money, it will not reach the market.”

The Centre has written off loans of big industrialists, but it has ignored farmers, said the Congress leader in an attack on the BJP.

The central government waived loans to the tune of Rs 14.50 lakh crore of big industrialists but what impact that move had on India’s economy? But in Chhattisgarh, loans of farmers were written off and its (positive) impact was seen in business and in their lives, he added.

Asked whether he sees the loan waiver promise as ‘Brahmastra’ (a powerful weapon), the CM replied in the negative.

No, we don’t believe in violence. If Brahamastra is released, it will take someone’s life and we don’t believe in violence. We believe in sharing happiness. You can see happiness on the faces of 36.50 lakh farmers and their families (after loan waiver was promised),” Baghel said.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)