Criticising the spree of demands for loan waivers by farmers, Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, on Thursday said it has become a fashion to seek loan waiver .
On the backdrop of farmers' demonstrations across the country, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu's statement that seeking loan waivers has become a fashion evoked angry reactions from Opposition.
Criticising the spree of demands for loan waivers by farmers, Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, on Thursday said it has become a fashion to seek loan waiver .
Naidu, however, clarified in the afternoon that he was referring to the 'fashion of political parties' competing with each other to ask for debt relief.
While speaking at a function at Bombay Stock Exchange to list the bonds being brought out by Pune Municipal Corporation he had ridiculed loan waiver. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister of State (MoS) Arjun Gehlot, Pune city mayor Mukta Tilak, Pune Guardian Minister Girish Bapat were also present at the event.
Naidu had said that only waiving off farm loan is not the permanent solution. He added that the political parties should focus on 'long- term solutions' such as improving infrastructure, rural roads, assured power supply, provisions of cold storage and godowns to farmers.
Criticizing Naidu for his statement on loan waiver, Congress state unit president Ashok Chavan said that it has become a fashion to make such statements on loan waiver.
The Aam Aadmi Party and the CPI(M) also attacked him for the remark. While AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said the comment exposed his bias towards the rich, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury asked if the government would now term farmer suicides 'fashionable'.
Denial follows
Opposition leaders took to bashing Naidu over his remarks on one of the burning issues of the country.
While Naidu clarified saying he referred to the ‘fashion of political parties’, his denial was not convincing.
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 "Venkaiah Naidu")
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