On Modi's 'false promises' remark targeting Congress' loan waiver, P Chidambaram's swipe

Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark against loan waivers by the Congress party. Speaking at a public rally in Dharamshala to mark the one year of BJP government in Himachal Pradesh, Modi had accused the Congress party of deceiving farmers with its loan waiver promises, which, he believed, were made only to win elections. Although the prime minister didn't directly name the Congress party, his remarks were quite clear. Cautioning farmers against the "false" loan waiver promises, the prime minister suggested political parties to refrain from making false promises, something his own party is often accused of.

"Only those promises should be made which can be fulfilled honestly and not just to win elections," the prime minister said during the rally to mark the completion of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur's first year in government.

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Reacting to Modi's remark, the finance minister asked him whether his 'farmers' relief plan' was intended to lose polls. The former Union minister claimed the plan of the BJP would imitate the previous Madhya Pradesh government's plan of paying farmers the difference between the minimum support price and market price and said the earlier plan had brought no relief to the indebted farmers.

"The prime minister says that Congress governments' loan waivers are only to win elections. So, shall we assume that PM's 'Farmers' Relief Plan' is intended to lose elections?" he tweeted.

Chidambaram also said that eight months' revenue collection was less than 50 per cent of the target and the fiscal deficit was 115 per cent of the estimate. "Where is the money for the new plan," he asked.

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During the recent Assembly elections in three heartland states – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh – the Congress party used the prevailing agrarian crisis as its key issue and promised to waive farm loans if elected to power. The results of the polls were a boost for the Congress as it dislodged the BJP government in three crucial states. Within days of coming to power, the Congress-led governments had announced loan waivers for farmers in all the three states, a move to further consolidate its image as pro-farmer government.