6 months on, Karnataka yet to see farm loan waiver, tweets mean nothing: BJP slams Congress

NEW DELHI: Soon after Congress came to power in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Chief Ministers of both states Kamal Nath and Bhupesh Baghel made the announcement to waive off farmer loans. In Rajasthan too, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is holding a meeting on Wednesday to waive off the loans. 

But as Congress tries to ramp up pressure on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre to waive off loans by acting in states that it came to power, the saffron party has hit back saying tweets and press statements don't mean anything. Reminding Congress of their promises in the manifesto in Karnataka, the BJP said that even after six months of coming to power, the loans have not been waived off yet. 

6 months on & loan waiver is not a reality in Karnataka

Eventually farmers of MP, Rajasthan & Chhattisgarh will know about your lying skills

Press statements & tweets don’t really mean loans are waived off

Btw @RahulGandhi waiving off loan isn’t like getting gold from potato’s https://t.co/fbs51HqNWa

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) December 18, 2018

"6 months on & loan waiver is not a reality in Karnataka. Eventually, farmers of MP, Rajasthan & Chhattisgarh will know about your lying skills. Press statements & tweets don’t really mean loans are waived off. Btw @RahulGandhi waiving off loan isn’t like getting gold from potato’s," the Karnataka BJP tweeted.

Had your family not slept on country's development for 60 years our farmers would have been self sustainable today.

BTW what is stopping you from waking up CM @hd_kumaraswamy to waive off farmers loan as promised.

In fact you should learn from CM's of Assam & Gujarat. https://t.co/xsFbs4dbxX

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) December 19, 2018

Union Minister Piyush Goyal also attacked Rahul on Twitter claiming that the promises are limited to poll speeches. "Rahul Gandhi ji, your promises are limited to electoral speeches. A waiver of Rs 44,000 crore was promised in Karnataka but even after many months, loans of only 800 farmers have been waived off. Even in the MP, you have given a deadline of March 31 and betrayed farmers. You have been exposed before the public," he tweeted.

_____ _____ __ ____ ______ ____ _____ ______ ______ __ __ _____ ___ I _______ ___ 44000 _____ __ ________ __ ____ ____ __ ______ ___ _____ 800 _______ __ __ ____ ____ __ ___ I MP ___ __ ____ 31Mar __ ____ _____ _______ __ ____ ____ ___ ____ ___ __ ____ __ _____ ___ ___ ___

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) December 18, 2018

Congress President Rahul Gandhi had on Tuesday said that his party and other opposition parties will force Prime Minister Narendra Modi to waive the loans of farmers by not letting him sleep till then.

He said PM Modi in his over four years in office has not waived a single rupee of farmers' loans but had written off Rs 3.5 lakh crore loans of 15-20 big industrialists using people's money. 

"I want to tell that Congress and other opposition parties will together force Modi to waive farmers` debt. We will stand, fight, not budge an inch. We will not let him sleep at night till the time he waives the loan of farmers. I wanted to give you this message, tell this to the farmers," he said. 

"I want to tell the poor farmers that this is your country. It is not of 15-20 industrialists. Injustice is being meted out to you. You (farmers) work day and night and provide food to the country and your voice is never heard. We are ensuring that your voice is heard. We have done it in three states and you remember we will pressurise Narendra Modi ji to do it," he added.

He said Modi had the choice in the last four years to execute farm loan waiver or go for demonetisation and "give money to his friends." 

"And he decided that he does not want to waive farmer loans. Now we will put such pressure on Narendra Modi. Not only Congress but every farmer of the country, we will take you all and get loans waived. Congress will stand with you. All opposition parties will stand with you. Do not be afraid, not be scared. Your work is going to be done," he said. 

Gandhi said the party had promised that it will start the work of loan waiver in 10 days. "In two states it did not take six hours and it is going to be done in the third state."