The Hindu : Karnataka News : BJP promises farm loan at 4 per cent interest

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka

BJP promises farm loan at 4 per cent interest

Staff Correspondent

It will write off the interest for the first year: Rajnath Singh

Seeking votes: Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh along with BJP candidate G.S. Manjunath and the former Minister D.H. Shankaramurthy in Chitradurga on Tuesday.

Chitradurga: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh has promised that his party will provide farm loans at 4 per cent interest if voted to power in the State and at the Centre.

Addressing a public gathering here on Tuesday, he said that the Bharatiya Janata Party would also write off the interest for the first year of borrowing.

‘Failure’

Criticising the Congress for its “failure” to protect the interests of farmers, he alleged that the Congress framed rules with a focus on the urban sector during its rule for more than 50 years.

Mr. Rajnath Singh held the Congress responsible for the increasing prices of essential commodities. Whenever the Congress came into power, there would be increase in inflation rate.

Referring to the statement of Finance Minister P. Chidambaram that the increase in inflation rate was because of the hike in petroleum prices in the international market, Mr. Singh sought to know why inflation rate in America was only 3 per cent though it was the largest importer of petroleum products.

He commended A.B. Vajpayee for controlling the inflation rate during his tenure as the Prime Minister.

He alleged that owing to the wrong economic policies of the Congress, the country, even after 60 years of Independence, was still considered underdeveloped.

“Fifty years of ruling is not less for any party to take the country on the path of development to ensure that it is in the list of developed countries. But the Congress never made such efforts during its five decades ruling,” he said.

Pressure

With regard to the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, Mr. Rajnath Singh said that the Congress was compromising on the sovereignty of country. The Congress was giving in to the pressure from America. He appealed to the people to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party for “a stable, transparent and pro-people” government.

Only in the interests of Karnataka, despite being the single largest party, the Bharatiya Janata Party had agreed to give the post of Chief Minister first to the Janata Dal (Secular).

“After enjoying power for 20 months in the State, the Janata Dal (Secular) betrayed the Bharatiya Janata Party at the time of transferring power. This resulted in the early elections in the State,” he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka