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Extend debt relief package to all peasants: UNPA

Special Correspondent

Terms loan waiver a “fraud perpetrated on farmers”

JAIPUR: Four former Chief Ministers of the constituent parties of United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) on Sunday termed the loan waiver of Rs.60,000 crore announced in this year’s Union budget a “fraud perpetrated on farmers” who they said were in crisis because of the UPA government’s “pro-rich policies”.

The UNPA leaders, led by its chairperson and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh, addressing a farmers’ rally at Vidyadhar Nagar here demanded that the debt relief package be extended to all peasants and steps taken to make farming profitable. They charged that the waiver was announced to offset the losses incurred by banks due to non-performing assets.

Besides Mr. Singh, former Chief Ministers Om Prakash Chautala of Haryana, Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh and Babulal Marandi of Jharkhand addressed the rally perceived in the political circles here as an attempt by the third force to make its presence felt in the run-up to the Assembly elections in Rajasthan later this year.

The four leaders, talking to reporters after the rally, said the State had a “rich potential” for emergence of an alternative political force with both the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress having failed to come up to people’s expectations. “Both the parties have left farmers at the mercy of money-lenders and driven them to penury,” said Mr. Mulayam Singh.

UNPA convenor Mr. Naidu said a one-time waiver of all loans for all categories of peasants, rather than the marginal farmers defined through strict parameters of land holdings, could help lift them out of the doldrums. “The permanent solution lies in taking long-term measures to make the agriculture sector profitable.”

Mr. Chautala said the Centre’s economic policies were serving the interests of the World Bank rather than the citizens of the country. “With the government confused about the direction of economic reforms, the poor farmers and artisans are suffering.”

The UNPA leaders demanded that the Centre implement the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan Commission appointed by itself as well as the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) to make agriculture profitable. Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh also addressed the rally.

Asked about the UNPA’s stand on Gujjars’ demand for reservation in the Scheduled Tribe category, Mr. Yadav said the quota facility should be extended to Gujjars without disturbing the ST status of the Meena community. He appealed to both the communities to desist from conflict over the issue.

The UNPA leaders also condemned the attacks on the CPI(M) headquarters in New Delhi allegedly by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh cadres and on the office and house of Samajwadi Party MP Jayaprada in Rampur, while affirming that violence had no place in politics.

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