Farm loan waiver in MP will resume once poll code ends: Kamal Nath

Bhopal, May 22 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has replied to former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's accusations of the Congress not fulfilling its loan waiver promises made to the farmers of the state and said that loans of 21 lakh farmers had been waived till the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and the process will resume once the MCC ends.

In a letter written to Chouhan on Tuesday evening, Kamal Nath said: "After taking oath on December 17, 2018, the first order I passed was regarding the waiver of farm loans of up to Rs 2 lakh. Following that the loan amounts were deposited in the bank accounts of the farmers. February 22 onwards, the loan waiver certificates were also distributed to them."

The letter further said: "Loans of 21 lakh farmers had been waived till the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) on 10 March, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and the process will resume once the MCC ends. The money was deposited in the accounts of 483 lakh farmers after we sought permission from the Election Commission (EC)."

The letter comes days after the Lok Sabha elections, during which the Congress and the BJP traded angry barbs over the farm loan waiver.

Denying Chouhan's claims on the issue, both Kamal Nath and Congress President Rahul Gandhi at a rally showed loan waiver applications made by the former Chief Minister's brother and other relatives. Details of the loans waived for 21 lakh farmers were also sent to him.

Emphasising that loan waiver wasn't an election gimmick but a promise made from the heart, the Congress leader expressed hope the Chouhan would accept the reality that he refused to during the elections and urged his predecessor's cooperation and best wishes for the same.