Date:03/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/03/stories/2008030366660300.htm

Karnataka - Gulbarga

‘BJP has no right to take credit for loan waiver’

Special Correspondent

The ban on the sale of arrack is a failure: Dharam Singh

Cheap bottled liquor is available in every
village, says Dharam Singh
‘Terrorist activities in the State should be dealt with an iron hand’

GULBARGA: The former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh said on Sunday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had no moral right to take credit for the waiver of farm loans.

Cooperative banks were facing a crisis owing to non-release of funds to them as part of the waived scheme by the State Government, he told The Hindu here.

Mr. Dharam Singh said that the State Government should have released Rs. 2,300 crore to the cooperative banks in lieu of waiver of farm loans and interest. But till the BJP-JD(S) Government collapsed in October, only Rs. 250 crore was released to the banks of the Rs. 2,300 crore. Governor Rameshwar Thakur had released Rs. 250 crore to the cooperative banks some time ago.

He said Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram while announcing the waiver of farm loans amounting to Rs. 60,000 crore, had announced steps to overcome the loss to be incurred by the banks.

He said that owing to non-release of funds, many cooperative banks could not meet the credit requirements of farmers and get refinance from NABARD and the apex bank. The ban on the sale of arrack was a failure. “Cheap bottled liquor is available in every village,” he added.

He said terrorist activities in the State had to be dealt with an iron hand and the rot had to be stemmed in the beginning itself. The investigation by the CoD was going in the right direction.

Mr. Dharam Singh said that it was unfortunate that the BJP and other Sangh Parivar organisations were politicising the investigation by the CoD. They were taking advantage of the acts of a few individuals to blame the Muslim community, he added.