Amarinder blasts Akalis for criticising farm loan waiver

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday hit out at the Akalis for raising “a hue and cry” over the farm loan waiver package. Re acting to the memorandum submitted by the SAD-BJP combine to Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore on Friday, the CM dismissed their demand for a ₹90,000 crore farm loan waiver package as “senseless and obnoxious”.

In a statement, Amarinder said: “Akalis are trying to project themselves as messiahs of the farmers to promote their petty political interests after pushing them into vicious debt traps with their lopsided policies. After doing nothing for the farmers during their decadelong rule, they are trying desperately to pick at straws to play to the gallery and revive their political fortunes.” He said the government had succeeded in raising enough funds to start the process of loan waiver for small and marginal farmers indebted to cooperative institutions.

On sacrilege cases, the CM said the Akalis were “looking for ways and means to save their skin in view of their imminent expose for their evident complicity in such cases”. But, he warned, the Akalis cannot evade justice for “misdeeds and misdemeanours” of their decade long rule.

Heurged the Akalis to worka s a constructive opposition and join hands with the government in ensuring the development of the state and all sections of its populace.