Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Jan 4: As if to rebut the opposition which has been criticizing him for making fake claims and failing to waive farm loans as promised, chief minister (CM), H D Kumaraswamy, said that he would be presenting the state budget on February 8 and waive the entire farm loan amount of Rs 46,000 crore in one go instead of tapering it over the next four years as planned earlier. He added that official announcement about the same would be made during budget presentation.
He was speaking at the public meeting organized at J P Bhavan on Thursday January 3 in preparation of the party for the coming Lok Sabha election.
He said that the decision to waive the entire liability of farmers in one installment out of next year's budget was taken in order not allow the opposition parties to succeed in their aim of creating mistrust about the government's intentions about the waiver of farm loans.
"A former chief minister of the state has said that loan waiver scheme has not been scientifically prepared. I express him respect for showing some concern about the farmers at least now. Perhaps he lacks proper information about our loan waiver scheme. I will send him entire details and papers about the sscheme so that he can study it himself and be aware," he said, without naming S M Krishna.
He targetted Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, he recalled that the PM had said that he was offering lollipop to farmers in the name of loan waiver. "I have told him that his survival as Prime Minister will be in jeopardy if he does not take farmers into confidence," Kumaraswamy stated. "You have to back Deve Gowda and send at least ten to 12 MPs of our party to Lok Sabha this time. Unless the upper bank project of north Karnataka is turned into a national project, it cannot become reality. If the people fail to realize this truth, they will continue to be taken for a ride by BJP," he warned.
He indicated that during the next budget, he would increase old age pension from the current Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 and also enhance widow pension apart from announcing various development schemes.
Satirically referring to legislator, Umesh Katti's statement about BJP's capability to form government overnight, Kumaraswamy said that he had visited Paris to enable the opposition to topple the government but mocked at them by commenting that they could not make use of his absence.
He asked the people of the state to fully back the efforts of his party by giving it absolute majority in the next election. "If we can independently form the government that lasts for full five years,I will undertake development works which will catapult our state to No 1 position in the country. If I fail to keep this promise, the party office can be locked up by the people," he said.