Captain lashes out at SAD for ‘misleading’ farmers on loan waiver

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Captain Am arin der Sing hon Sunday lashed out at the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for “misleading the people” over government’s ₹9,500 crore farm loan waiver, which would benefit 10.25 lakh farmers.

Lambasting SAD patron Parkash Singh Bad al for playing with the sentiments of the people, Amarinder said the former CM had failed to take any initiatives for the benefit of farmers during his 10-year tenure.

Re acting to the SAD core committee’ s rejection of the government’s notification on farmers’ debt, the CM challenged Badal and party president Sukhbir Singh Bad alto prove their allegations against the government pertaining to the loan waiver.

The CM said when his govern- ment had announced the loan waiver scheme in the Vidhan S ab ha in June, Bad al had failed to attend the session. The CM warned the Aka lisa gain st“pursuing a negative agenda ”, saying people of Punjab were not willing to listen to them.

“Having failed to take any step for the welfare of the farmers during their tenure, the Bad al snow were trying to de mean the initiatives being taken by the Congress government despite the financial crisis inherited by the state from the erstwhile SAD-BJP government,” said Amarinder.

On the SAD allegation on the closure of certain government schools, the CM said, once again, the party was mis guiding the people by“mutilating the truth .” The fact was that the government had decided to merge 800 government schools with less than 20 students with ad joining schools situated in one-kilometre radius, he added.