Poll eve bonanza for TN farmers

In one of the biggest poll-eve bonanza, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday announced waiver of crop loans to the tune of Rs 12,110 crore availed by 16.43 lakh farmers from cooperative banks. This is the largest ever crop loan waiver in the history of Tamil Nadu, where Assembly polls are due in a couple of months.

Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, a session boycotted by the opposition parties, Palaniswami justified the largesse citing the prevailing situation where farmers had incurred losses due to cyclones and representation from them to waive crop loans.

Nearly five years ago, years ago the AIADMK government led by Jayalalithaa, after being voted to power for a second consecutive time, had waived off Rs 5,318 crore of farm loans.

While the farm sector hailed the move, DMK leader M K Stalin was quick to assail it saying the Chief Minister was acting in a hurried manner in view of the elections. He also said that the decision to waive farm loans was taken since he had been promising the voters that a DMK govt (when elected) would waive the loans.