Cong yatra for farm loan waiver today

: The Rajasthan unit of the Congress is all set to launch a state-level farmers’ rally on Tuesday to demand a blanket crop loan waiver.

The “Kisan Nyaya Padyatra”, which will traverse 100 kilometres, will commence from Baran tomorrow and culminate in chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s constituency of Jhalawar.

“The Raje government wants to take political mileage out of the farm loan waiver issue. There should be no politics on it. We will put pressure on the government for immediate announcement of a complete farm loan waiver,” Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot said.

He alleged Raje and her ministers were “insensitive” towards the issue of famers’ suicides and that none of them visited any of the families of the deceased farmers. He said there had been a pressing need to alleviate agrarian distress and the state government had announced it would form a committee to see if it can grant a waiver of up to ₹50,000.

“This is completely unacceptable. We will put pressure on the anti-farmer BJP government of Vasundhara Raje to announce a complete farm loan waiver,” the former Union minister said.

Pilot accused the BJP government of “betraying” farmers, common people and the youth, and said the Congress will not only expose the BJP for failing to keep its promises but it’s preparing a “better alternative governance model”. The model will focus on “handling issues relating to education, labour, sanitation among others”.

NEW DELHI