Railing against Chandrababu Naidu diluting the promised farmer and DWACRA loan waivers, Jagan announced a 3-day dharna in villages across the State.
Calling the bluff of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on the waiver of agricultural and DWACRA loans, YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy said that a 3-day dharna would be taken up at villages across the State from July 24 to mount pressure on the TDP government to implement its poll promise and ensure that fresh loans were given to farmers.
"I appeal to all political parties, including the BJP, to join the 3-day dharna programme "Narakasura Vadha" to be carried out by farmers and women groups along with the YSR Congress to bring pressure on the TDP government to fulfill its poll promise of total waiver of agricultural and DWACRA loans, and to address to the financial implications arising out of its unfulfilled promise," he told reporters at his Lotus Pond residence in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
Effigies of the TDP President would be burnt at all villages in the 13 districts of AP as Naidu was going back on his election promises and was trying to dilute the loan waiver by imposing strictures and downsizing the quantum. which clearly showed that his pre-election words were not matching with his deeds after assuming power, Jagan stated.
Farmers and women groups deceived by his false promises would now have to to shell down money and repay old loans to get fresh ones, failing which they would need to pay an interest of around 12% as defaulters, against the regulation 3% interest, he said.
Jagan stated Chandrababu Naidu had chaired the 184th State Level Bankers Conference (SLBC) held on June 30, which had clearly mentioned in its report that the State had total agriculture loans of Rs 87,612 crores and DWACRA loans of Rs 14,204 crores, aggregating to Rs 1,01,816 crores.
The Committee had also said that farmers were reluctant to repay the loans in anticipation of a loan waiver.
The Chief Minister had now slashed the figure to Rs 35,000 crores, which amounted to downsizing it to 37%, and the YSR Congress was protesting this gross injustice, Jagan said.
In the letter given to the Election Commission, the TDP President had categorically said that "the financial implications of the election promise (of loan waiver) were taken care of".
He had also run an intense campaign by distributing pamphlets and giving ads in the media that all the agricultural and DWACRA loans would be waived off, and that the scheme was feasible.
He had made this point very loud and clear in all the election meetings he had addressed, Jagan alleged.
Even on the swearing-in day, there were ads in the media that all farm and DWACRA loans would be waived off, and that 9-hour quality power would be supplied to farmers, along with many other commitments.
When it came to implementation, however, Naidu was cheating the public by going back and finding ways to dilute the scheme, and appointing a redundant committee headed by Kotaiah to study the feasibility of the scheme in a bid to put the Party's behind-the-scenes agenda into the Committee's report, Jagan railed.
With farmers and women's groups not repaying the loans, they were not eligible for fresh loans, and could not get back their gold and other assets pawned, and were also not eligible for crop insurance.
This apart, becoming defaulters now for believing the TDP's poll promises, they would need to pay a higher rate of interest, which would amount to, as per the SLBC figures, Rs. 13,000 crores, the Leader of the Opposition said, and made presented Chandrababu Naidu's speeches and his ads in the media.
The TDP leader had cheated the people with his promises, and the farmers and women groups were crestfallen and were at a crossroads, Jagan lamented.
When the TRS government had gone back on one of its poll promises, the entire opposition including the TDP had protested in the Telangana region, and the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had reversed a decision which was announced by his cabinet colleague.
When the TDP could protest in Telangana for the TRS not implementing its poll promise, how could it now go back on its word in Andhra Pradesh, the YSRCP President asked.
The State government was trying to wade through its financial crisis, and the methods it had been speaking of to come out of the red were ridiculous, Jagan alleged.
The TDP government saying that it would mortgage the red sander trees in the forests to banks was insane, as felling of trees was unlawful, and amounted to smuggling, Jagan said. Providing sand quarries as security was also a bluff as a High Court ruling existed that sand quarrying was illegal, he added.
The TDP was only trying to fool the people with such impossible promises once again, he alleged.
"We have been contending that the war is between credibility and deception, and it still continues as we expose the dubious ways of Chandrababu Naidu, who is deceiving and cheating the people with his false promises. We will organize farmers and women's groups, and appeal to all political parties to join the 3-day dharna programme beginning July 24," he concluded. (INN)