Can you ask Centre to waive off farm loans: Siddaramaiah to Yeddyurappa

Bengaluru: Taking a swipe at BJP leaders for demanding a complete farm loan waiver (instead of up to Rs 50,000 announced by his government), Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah on Sunday dared state BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa to ask his party led Central government to declare a farm loan waiver in the country. Speaking to reporters after signing as proposer in the nomination papers of Congress party's presidential candidate, Meira Kumar, Siddaramaiah reminded BJP leaders of their statements that they would urge the Centre to waive farmer loans taken from nationalised banks if the state government wrote off loans taken from co-operative societies.

“I have done it, I am now asking them to keep their word,” he said. He added that BJP leaders had done nothing other than criticise the good work of the ruling party. “The Opposition's job is not just to criticize but also take an impartial look at every issue. If they indulge in politicking, the Congress knows perhaps better how to politicize issues,” he said. Endorsing Siddaramaiah's view, KPCC president, Dr G. Parameshwar lashed out at BJP leaders for trivialising the loan issue. “Their own senior leaders like Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu have said that it has become a fashion to waive farmer loans. No BJP leader in the state has even condemned this statement so far,” he said.