BHOPAL: Unfazed by his agriculture minister admitting in the Vidhan Sabha that the previous Congress government waived off farm loans of over 26 lakh farmers, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday dared his predecessor Kamal Nath to debate over the issue.
“Kamal Nathji karja mafi pe kahi bhi bahas kar lo (Kamal Nath, I’m ready for a debate on the issue of the loan waiver anywhere),” Chouhan told journalists on Friday. Reiterating his old allegations about the Congress’s promise of farm loan waiver being a sham, the CM said “He (Kamal Nath) has promised to waive off all loans of all farmers up to Rs 2 lakh limit.
Have all farm loans up to the limit of Rs 2 lakh actually been waived off. Either I’m lying or else the Congress and Kamal Nath are lying.” Importantly, waiving off all loans of farmers up to Rs 2 lakh limit was one of the major poll promises that was instrumental in the Congress’s return to power in Madhya Pradesh in December 2018, after a gap of 15 years.