Naidu hoodwinking farmers on loan waiver: YSRCP

Describing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s decision to constitute a committee to recommend guidelines on farm loan waiver as an act of hoodwinking and delaying tactics, YSR Congress Party today asked him to implement his loan waiver promise in letter and spirit.

YSR Congress Party farmers’ wing convener MVS Nagireddy told reporters here that farmers are agitated over the decision of the Government which has constituted a committee to look into the matter instead of waiving off the loans straightaway.

“TDP had promised to announce waiver of all agricultural loans before the elections. Chandrababu Naidu asked people not to repay their loans including gold loans taken for agricultural purposes. TDP had also issued advertisements in newspapers promising waiver of crop loans, tractor loans and gold loans. Instead of announcing waiver, Naidu has appointed a committee now to hood wink people.  Farming community is agitated over this delaying tactics,” he said.

Nagi Reddy said the decision to constitute committee for formulating guidelines over waiver of farm loans, Dwacra loans and weavers’ loans is not acceptable.  “In the past, several committees were constituted on farmers’ issues such as Mohan Kanda committee, Swaminathan committee, Jayanthi Ghosh committee and Bhupendra Huda led-CMs’ committee. The working of all these committees came to naught. This committee too will also go the same way,” he remarked, adding that in fact loans taken for processing and cold storage units are also treated as agricultural loans.

TDP in Telangana is asking the CM K Chandrasekhara Rao to implement the loan waiver promise in full while in Andhra Pradesh it is doing the other way round, Nagi Reddy said and added: “Naidu wants to fill the committee with bank officers who are opposing the loan waiver and get a report that would leave the farmers in the lurch.”

He asked Naidu to first implement the loan waiver and then constitute a committee to have guidelines on reimbursement of the funds to the banks. “Or else, we will not keep quiet.”