Unmoved by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s claims that the Opposition is aggravating farmers’ suicide figures which actually stood at 131, the State unit of Bharatiya Janata Party stood firm on its claims 237 farmers have committed suicide in Congress’ six-month of rule in the State.
“BJP is willing to provide the names and addresses of the suicide victims if the Government wants,” said State BJP chief and Union Minister Vijay Sampla on Wednesday while reacting to Capt Amarinder’s statement wherein he had said that the Opposition was indulging in false propaganda over the issue of farmers.
Rebutting Capt Amarinder’s claims, Sampla said, “You (Capt Amarinder) promised full loan waiver, you swore by taking the Gutka Sahib in your hands, you made the farmers fill the forms for loan waiver, you gave the slogan of ‘Karza-Kurki Khatam, Fasal ki Puri Rakam’, you said in your first cabinet meeting that you will fulfil your promises within a month, and now when six months have passed by, we are reminding you of your promises, and you say that we are playing politicsIJ”
Sampla said that it was not the BJP’s statements, which were pushing the farmers towards suicide, but Captain’s reneging on his promises. “This was proved when Major Singh, a farmer of village Tedakalan in Ajnala Tehsil, in his suicide note had clearly held the Congress Government responsible for his extreme step. Not only this, the day when you went back on your promise in the Vidhan Sabha and announced a partial loan waiver, limiting it only to two lakhs, 47-year-old Inderjit Singh of Balapind village in Gurdapur district ended his life,” he added.
Questioning Capt Amarinder’s intentions, Sampla said, “It can be understood that the Chief Minister was unable to announce a full loan waiver owing to poor financial situation, however, why are those pre-poll promises not being fulfilled which don’t put a considerable burden on the exchequerIJ”
“Natural calamity compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre, Rs 10 lakh compensation to the family of a farmer committing suicide plus a job, handing subsidies directly into farmers’ accounts, creation of a price stabilization fund, and Rs 5 lakh life and health insurance for every farmer — these are some of the promises which still remain to be fulfilled,” he said.