Sukhbir’s diatribe on Congress farm debt waiver shows his frustration, says Capt Amarinder

Vows to settle farm loans, says he will even snatch back money looted through scams and use it for debt waiver

Chandigarh, December 18
Dismissing the diatribe of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal over the farm debt waiver issue as a sign of sheer frustration, Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday once again vowed to settle all the loans of the state’s farmers on priority basis after coming to power, saying he would even recover and use the money looted from the people in the past 10 years of Akali misrule.

Crores of rupees have been looted by the corrupt and plundering Akalis through a series of scams in the past 10 years, including the Rs. 31,000 crore mega food grain scam and the Rs. 17,000 crore pesticide scam, said Captain Amarinder, adding that he will go all out to recover every penny of this money and use it for the welfare of the people, including debt settlement of the farmers.

Captain Amarinder accused Sukhbir of trying to mislead the people on the farm loan waiver issue by spreading disinformation. The state government simply needs to take over the loans of the farmers and settle the accounts by arranging for funds, said Captain Amarinder. The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president said there was no legal bar to the state government settling loans in this manner, and, if necessary, he would organize the necessary funds by taking the people’s money back from all those who had been diverting public funds to their personal coffers in the past 10 years.

The Badals, including Sukhbir and Harsimrat, have become frustrated and desperate as a result of their own failure to do anything for the aggrieved and debt-ridden farmers of the state, said Captain Amarinder. In a statement, the PPCC president further said the Badals had quite obviously become hysterical and frantic in their bid to underplay the success of the Congress `Karza kurki khatam, fasal di poori rakam’ campaign, which led to the collection of over 30 lakh registration forms from farmers seeking waiver of their debts, said Captain Amarinder.

It is quite evident that Sukhbir’s diatribe on the waiver issue is the result of the Badal’s frustration to woo voters ahead of the assembly elections in Punjab, despite their all-out efforts to lure them with a plethora of sops and promises, said the Punjab Congress president.
The Badals have also realized that the Congress farm debt waiver promise has not only evoked overwhelming response from the farmers but is also moving towards early realization with even the party at the national level striving hard towards it, Captain Amarinder said.
The entire Congress force is working towards ensuring that the promise of farm debt waiver is actualized as soon as the party comes to power in Punjab, said Captain Amarinder, adding that the farmers in the state would not have to pay a paisa out of their own pockets to settle their debts.

“Whether or not the Modi government at the Centre supports the Congress initiative, I am personally committed to waiving off every single debt of the farmers of my state,” said Captain Amarinder, pointing out that he had even earlier stood by and successfully executed his debt waiver promises. Fully cognizant of this fact, the Badals are getting desperate now that their lies are fast getting exposed to the people of Punjab, said the Punjab Congress president.

Captain Amarinder said the spate of inaugurations and Bills being sought to be hastily passed by the Akali government, which has even called a special Assembly election on Monday for the same, are not helping the Badals attract the voters, who are completely disillusioned by their policies and actions of the past 10 years. By resorting to blatantly twisting and fraudulently misrepresenting the facts, Sukhbir is simply showing the extent of his frustration at the impending wipe-out of the Akalis in the coming elections, said Captain Amarinder.