MYSURU: BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa has announced that he will go fast from July 7 to 9 and hold a massive rally of farmers, urging the state government to waive farm loans taken from co-operative institutions. He said around 3-4 lakh farmers will gather in Bengaluru on July 10 to protest against the failure of the Congress government and its poor fiscal management.
Speaking to media persons here on Sunday, Yeddyurappa said: “I will publicly greet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah if he waives farm loans,” he added.
Asked whether he would prevail upon the Centre to waive farm loans to the tune of `32,000 crore borrowed from the nationalised banks, Yeddyurappa refused to comment and maintained that he would raise the issue in an appropriate forum.
He said the Centre has released funds of `1.95 lakh crore to the state under various schemes.
“The BJP workers will put up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and local MP pictures before PDS outlets to educate people on the Centre’s contribution in Anna Baghya scheme,” he said.
He disputed that the ego clash between Congress and BJP leaders over waiving loans has put the farming community into trouble.
Yeddyurappa claimed that he had waived loans as chief minister and had given credit to farmers at zero per cent interest.
State-wide tour
Clarifying that the defeat in bypolls has not battered the hopes of the BJP’s rank and file, the Lingayat strongman said he would complete his state-wide tour covering all the 224 Assembly constituencies before August-end and prepare the party for elections in next two months to achieve ‘Mission 150’.