Scindia's right, farm loan up to Rs 2 lakh will be waived off: Kamal Nath

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Saturday said the Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia was right in claiming that farm loan of only up to Rs 50,000 has been waived off so far but he promised that his government will waive off farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh in due course of time.

"He (Scindia) is right. We had said we will waive off Rs 50,000 farm loan in the first installment. Next, we will waive off up to Rs 2 lakh. I agree that to have promised Rs 2 lakh farm loan waiver. I believe the public trust their leader," Chief Minister Nath told reporters here.

The Chief Minister, however, said that suggestions for improvement are welcome, but one should first know the facts and truths, which are in front of the people.

"The farm loans have not been waived off in totality. Loan of only Rs 50,000 has been waived off even when we had promised that loan up to Rs 2 Lakh will be waived," Scindia had said earlier.

"The loans should be waived off completely," he had added.

In an open letter to farmers of the state in August, Chief Minister Kamal Nath had said that his government has waived the loans of 20 lakh farmers amounting to Rs 7,000 crore.

Ahead of the Assembly elections in December last year, then Congress president Rahul Gandhi had promised that if his party were voted to power in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, farmers' loans would be written off within 10 days of the new governments taking over.

Chief Minister Nath also agreed to the views of Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on the issue of cattle becoming a menace for transport in the state and added that he himself was in favour of changes to be made in the right direction.

He also said the Congress will easily win the coming Jhabua by-elections. Congress has fielded Kantilal Bhuria from the seat, while the main opposition party has fielded Bhanu Bhuria.