In letter to PM, Punjab CM Channi bats for farm debt waiver

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 30

Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Tuesday exhorted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept his proposal for a complete debt waiver of farmers and farm labourers, adding his government was ready to take over its share of debt burden along with the Government of India.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, CM Channi stressed the need for framing a Centre-state shared scheme of an appropriate ratio spread over some time with proper modalities to “end farm debt once and for all”. “Despite the stressed revenues of the state government, no sacrifice would be big enough than the weight of this moral obligation that we owe to the farmer fraternity,” wrote the CM.

Decide it mutually

We as stakeholders are ready to commit ourselves to any new arrangement that is decided mutually among all stakeholders. — CM Channi’s letter to PM Modi

He stressed the need to make a fresh start and work towards improving the agricultural ecosystem in Punjab in particular and that of the nation in general.

“I know some people will question us with economic sheets in their hands but sir do remember that tomorrow when neither me nor you are here, we will be judged. There will be a reckoning. It will either come from ourselves and our own conscience or it will come from our generations when they will ask that inconvenient question of what were we doing or what we did for those who fed us and for those who carried out the biggest democratic struggle of independent India. Let history judge us by our deeds and that, when the moment of reckoning arrived, we did not fear but boldly turned the tide,” read the letter.

Reminding the PM about his announcement to withdraw the farm laws, Channi said the farmers and government had moved a step closer to resolving some major pending issues that had taken centre stage apart from the demand to repeal the three laws. The foremost, of course, being the issue of farm debt.

CM Channi further said the farm leadership recently met him in Chandigarh with their demands and only one major issue that remained pending at his level was that of debt. “A glittering ray of hope has however shone after GoI’s changed stance,” he wrote.