Congress' Loan Waiver Offer Irresponsible: JP

Loksatta Party national President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today termed Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's promise to waive farmers' bank loans of up to Rs. 2 lakh as irresponsible.

Addressing a media conference, JP wanted to know whether the loan waiver would be applicable to farmers in both the emerging States.

Who would foot the bills - the Centre or the States? Had any homework been done on the implications? Had the Reserve Bank of India been consulted? These were some of the questions he raised.

JP asked who had given the authority to the Congress to announce a decision that would disrupt the economy. What would happen if the RBI imposed a freeze on grant of bank loans to people in the State taking exception to the Government's credit indiscipline, he wondered.

JP said that he had earlier voiced concern over regional parties making wild promises unmindful of their deleterious consequences. Now even a national party like the Congress has placed its interests above those of the country.

Farmers, JP said, should definitely be extended all assistance in the form of improved seeds and modern technology. They should be ensured remunerative prices for their produce.

In fact, he said, the Loksatta had enabled farmers to gain Rs. 3,600 crores during 2011 by successfully agitating for the removal of the illegal ban on inter-State food grain movement. The Loksatta again was responsible for getting the ban on the export of food grains to other countries as a result of which farmers have been receiving higher prices and India has emerged as the No. 1 exporter in the world.

But Rahul Gandhi's promise was quite short-sighted, he opined, and would hurt the farmers, too, along with the economy as such.

The Union Cabinet decision to dissolve the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and re-promulgate President's rule was a sad commentary on the functioning of the Government of India, JP added.

That Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy would resign in the wake of the promulgation of the AP Reorganization Bill was an open secret. The Parliament was in session when the CM resigned, and its approval could have been taken for imposition of President's rule. Instead, the Union Government behaved like a tottering child or a somnambulant man, he remarked.

Now that we have President's Rule which is unconstitutional, but without remedy, JP appealed to the youth to enlighten the voters to vote freely without submitting to inducements or coercion, especially since votes are not counted booth-wise. The EC is bunching EVMs, and the vote count is known only for a group of booths. Therefore, there was no way for candidates to know how people voted in a particular booth, he said.

Referring to the daily seizure of money and recovery of liquor stored in fields and ponds, and publication of paid news, he asked the media to enlighten voters on these pernicious practices and not become a part of the rotten system.

JP announced that he would campaign for Bandaru Dattatreya, the BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Secunderabad, on Sunday morning, in response to a request from the latter.

State Loksatta Party President Katari Srinivasa Rao read out an open letter to voters by lyricist Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry to support the Loksatta and stand for dharma.

Party leaders Bandaru Ramamohan Rao, V Vijayender Reddy and Kodandarama Rao took part in the media conference. (INN)