After seeing the agitation and protest of the farmers in many states demanding for a complete loan waiver and increase in the minimum support price (MPS) for all farm products. To restore peace, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Punjab agreed to the loan waiver demand of the farmers.
While addressing an event in Mumbai on 22 June, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu, commented that seeking for loan waiver has become a fashion now days. This comment made by him, met criticism from many parties on large scale. In response to the criticism, Naidu later cleared that the comment was not made for the farmers demanding for loan waiver but it was for the political parties who were announcing loan waiver to compete with each other. He said that waiving off loan was not the final solution to the prevailing conditions of the farmer and should be considered only in extreme cases.
Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the CPI (M), the CPI and the Samajwadi Party (SP) condemned Naidu’s comment. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that it was a shame that a comment like this was coming from a senior BJP member, while the farmers are on the verge of committing suicides daily, Naidu calls it a fashion. He further added that such a comment was not accepted from the BJP making fun of the distress suffered by the farmers.
AAP chief Arving Kejriwal and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury also attacking Naidu questioned that now whether BJP will term the sucides of the farmers also as fashionable? Kejriwal also said that the government could pardon the loans of the rich people without any problem and waiving off loans for the farmers is becoming so difficult for the government that it is calling a fashion, seeking for loan waiver.
“Will this govt now say that Farmer suicides are also fashionable? We need to do more than loan waivers for our farmers, not mock at them. (sic),” Yechury tweeted.
Will this govt now say that Farmer suicides are also fashionable? We need to do more than loan waivers for our farmers, not mock at them. pic.twitter.com/6kcPgrqFqE
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) June 22, 2017
CPI national secretary D Raja also commented against the term used by Naidu saying that if BJP thinks that the government of different states are announcing loan waiver to compete with each other, than it was BJP member-Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister who triggered the competition, which was than followed by other states.
Responding to all this criticism, in his defense Naidu said that, political parties should focus on long term solution to improve the conditions of the farmers and help them like, improving infrastructure, rural roads, assured power supply, provisions of cold storage and godowns and providing affordable and timely cheap credit to farmers. He also boasted about the measures taken by BJP for the farmers, listing the schemes like, Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme, Soil Health Card and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana. He also alleged the previous ruling government for not implementing any measures for the welfare of the farmers.