The politics of farm loan waiver has gripped Andhra Pradesh as the ruling Telugu Desam Party and the opposition YSR Congress Party are engaged in a fierce game of oneupmanship over the issue.
In fact, the issue has been a bone of contention between the two parties right from the time of election campaign to the State Assembly earlier this year, with the Telugu Desam Party promising to waive off all farm loans and the YSR Congress Party dubbing it a false and unrealistic promise.
Telugu Desam came to power as the farmers voted for the party in large numbers and since then there have been high expectations that the TDP Government would keep its promise. But after the bifurcation of the State the newly-formed TDP-BJP Government found itself on a stickly wicket, saddled with a budget deficit of Rs 16,000 crore. It has become a huge task for the TDP Government to fulfil its promise of waiving off all farm loans, with no help forthcoming from either the Union Government or the RBI. There has been delay in taking any steps on the promise.
However, on Friday this week the Chief Minister, N. Chandra Babu Naidu, announced in Hyderabad the guidelines for implementing the waiver scheme. Farm loans up to Rs 50,000 would be waived immediately and those above the limit would be waived in phases. Funds would be released to the commercial banks for the purpose and bonds would also be issued to meet the obligation, the Chief Minister announced. He promised that the loans given to the self-help groups of women would also be waived at a later stage, as promised by the TDP in the election manifesto.
State-wide dharna
However, the Opposition YSR Congress Party commenced a state-wide agitation programme from Friday in protest in the State, with the YSR Congress Party Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy launching the agitation here in front of the district collector's office.
Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy accused the TDP Government of cheating the farmers and women of the State by making false and unrealistic promises. "The State Government has so far allocated only Rs 5,000 crore for the waiver scheme, whereas more than Rs 1 lakh crore is required for waiving all the farm loans and loans taken by the self-help groups of women. The State is stuck with a budget deficit of Rs 16,000 crore. It is for Mr. Chandra Babu Naidu to tell the public clearly by what trick he will conjure up the funds required for fulfilling the promise. Already, 87 farmers have committed suicide in the State and the CM should own responsibility for it," he alleged at the public meeting here on Friday.
He said he would go on a fast on the issue on January 6 and 7 and after Sankranti he would visit the families of the farmers who committed suicide.
The Chief Minister and the other TDP leaders are accusing the YSR Congress leader of politicising the issue as his party had lost the election and he was left with no other issue.
Regardless of the political tussle, the farmers of the state are waiting for relief from indebtedness.