Punjab BJP to gherao CM residence over farmer suicides

Chandigarh: BJP Kisan Morcha has threatened to gherao chief minister Amarinder Singh’s residence on August 4 to demand complete loan waiver of farmers.

Punjab BJP secretary Vineet Joshi said after the swearing in of the state Congress government on March 16 this year, 160 farmers had ended their lives. Even after the state chief minister’s decision on June 19 to waive off marginal farmers’ loans of up to Rs 2 lakh, 80 farmers committed suicide, he added. According to Joshi, the party has collected farmers’ suicide data from its district level workers from various sources, including media reports. He claimed that maximum number of suicides were committed in Mansa, Barnala, Sangrur and Muktsar districts.

“Amarinder and finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal are responsible for these suicides since they have gone back on their earlier commitment of full farm loan waiver. BJP Kisan Morcha will gherao the chief minister’s residence on Friday, till he gives an assurance of complete loan waiver as committed in the election manifesto,” said Joshi.

BJP’s state vice-president Harjit Singh Grewal informed that banks have declared just 6% accounts of farmers in Punjab as non-performing assets (NPAs). “They (Congress) only gave hope to farmers of complete loan waiver and now even banks are trying to recover loans from farmers by publishing their photos,” said Grewal.

To a question as to why the SAD-BJP government did not waive off farmers’ loans during its regime, Joshi replied, “We never promised karza maafi (loan waiver) in election because we knew it would be difficult given the state’s financial situation. But Manpreet Badal also remained finance minister during the SAD-BJP government and he was well aware of the complete picture.”

Grewal also took on the ruling Congress party for its involvement in illegal mining and cable business, and politicisation of the police.

Joshi expressed that ahead of state assembly polls, the Congress government started a campaign “Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Di Puri Rakam” (finish debts, full price for crops) but now the state is becoming “Kisana Da Shamshan”( farmers’ cemeteries). He said that though the government made a provision of only Rs 1,500 crore in the budget, till date banks have not received the amount from the government and the banks are indulging in recovery.