Farmer suicide: Bajwa seeks debt waiver, Capt slams state, central govts
Thursday, 11/06/2015
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CHANDIGARH/FATEHGARH SAHIB: Taking a cue from the suicide by debt-ridden Fatehgarh Sahib farmer Surjit Singh, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa on Wednesday demanded that the Narendra Modi government waive the debt of Punjab’s farmers. Bajwa also asked Modi to “concentrate on providing succour to the beleaguered farmers rather than focusing on anti-farmer land legislation”.
The PPCC president reminded the Prime Minister that his predecessor, Dr Manmohan Singh, had waived `72,000-crore debt and it was high time the present NDA government extended that policy of waiving debt.
Earlier, Bajwa and Fatehgarh Sahib Congress MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra visited Surjit Singh’s family at Dadu Majra village in Fatehgarh Sahib district.
After attending the cremation, Bajwa said, “Brave farmers of Punjab are taking the extreme step due to the SAD-BJP government’s misrule.”
Announcing `2-lakh compensation for the farmer’s family, the state Congress chief said the Punjab government should pay `10-lakh relief in this regard.
Meanwhile, Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh expressed shock and grief over the suicide by Surjit Singh. “The situation calls for tackling the agrarian crisis on an emergency basis, ,” he warned in a statement. The former Punjab CM regretted that almost every day there were reports of suicides committed by distressed and debt-ridden farmers.
