BENGALURU: Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy launched a sharp attack on the Congress on Saturday, accusing it of having refused to support farm loan waivers during his tenure as Karnataka CM in 2018, and criticising the current State Government’s drought relief and farmer welfare measures.
Speaking to reporters after a public grievance session at the JDS office, Kumaraswamy said that when he waived farmer loans in 2018, Congress leaders - his coalition partners at the time - offered no support and told him the waiver was his commitment alone.
Kumaraswamy said he had never sought funds from Centre for either of the two loan waivers he implemented during his terms in office, contrasting this with state’s recent request for Central assistance while offering farmers a drought compensation of Rs 2,500 per hectare. The minister that sum was inadequate given farmers’ input costs, and called for scientifically assessed, region-specific compensation instead. Kumaraswamy criticised the state cabinet’s travel to Delhi as part of an all-party delegation on the drought issue, calling the travel and hotel expenses unnecessary, and suggested local representatives could raise the matter without the trip.