Waive entire farm loans: Farmers

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 18

Farmers and farm workers from seven different bodies held a protest at the Mini-Secretariat under the banner of “Karza Mukti Morcha”. Protestors demanded complete debt-waiver of farm loans as promised by the Congress during the Assembly Elections.

Agitating farmers said the Congress had come back to power in Punjab on the promise of remitting farm loans and the state government has backtracked from its commitment and imposed several conditions.

They said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central Government was also maintaining silence over providing any relief to farmers. Protesting farmers added that bogus claims were being made about doubling income of farmers by 2022.

Farmers also criticised the state government for its failure to promote crop diversification. “As the government purchases wheat and paddy, those growing crops, including basmati, potatoe, maize and sugarcane, among others are being looted by private traders,” said activists of farmers’ bodies.

Agitating farmers demanded that farm loans should be waived off unconditionally, blank cheques and blank stamp papers of indebted farmers lying with banks and private lenders should be returned back to borrowers.

Tarlochan Singh Jhorran, Sadhu Singh Acharwal, Sadhu Singh Panjeta, Sudagar Singh Ghudani, Manjit Singh Kanech and Hardip Singh Ghalib, among others, were present on the occasion.

The protest was organised by Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta); Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Dagaunda); Kirti Kisan Union, Bharti Kisan Union (Krantikari), Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Punjab; Krantikari Kisan Union; and Kisan Sabgharsh Committee – Azad.