Now, BJP gets farmer-friendly

The BJP made all-out efforts to woo farmers by promising them cheaper agriculture loans at four per cent, reports Navneet Sharma.

Stumped by the Rs 60,000-crore farm loan waiver announced by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government, the BJP on Sunday made all-out efforts to woo farmers by promising them cheaper agriculture loans at four per cent and guaranteed earnings from their crops through an innovative income insurance scheme if voted to power in the forthcoming parliamentary polls.

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Making these promises, BJP president Rajnath Singh demanded a special budget for the agriculture sector on the lines of Railway Budget presented every year and a comprehensive action plan for 10 years to alleviate problems of the farmers all over the country.

A special 15-day session of Parliament should be convened immediately to prepare the plan by taking all parties into confidence, he said at the Vijay Sankalp rally oraganised by the party here.

The BJP president said the UPA Government had announced the loan waiver in haste and limited it to farmers having landholdings of up to two hectares. “What about the farmers who take loans from private moneylenders? No thought has been given to their problems,” he said, insisting on waiver of all loans of the farmers in the country. The rally signalled the launch of the party’s election campaign for the parliamentary polls.