UNPA accused the Congress of being responsible for the current plight of the farmers in the country and termed the proposal for loan waiver as an "illusion".
AZAMGARH (UP): The United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) on Sunday accused the Congress of being responsible for the current plight of the farmers in the country and termed the proposal for loan waiver as an "illusion".
Addressing a 'kisan rally' here, UNPA chairman and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said the loan waiver proposal in the budget was nothing but an "illusion" and the farmers would get no benefit from it.
"If the Centre is sincere in resolving the problems of the farmers, it should formulate a national water policy and implement the Swaminathan Committee report which has suggested that the farmers should be paid 50 per cent over and above the production cost for the their produce," Yadav said.
Alleging that about 1.5 lakh farmers commit suicide in the country every year, he said a national water policy should be formulated to ensure irrigation of crops in the areas which received scanty rains.
Yadav opposed any further division of Uttar Pradesh and termed the move in this regard a "conspiracy to undermine the political importance of the biggest state of the country".
Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telgu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu also blamed the Congress for the plight of the farmers.
"The Congress never cared for the farmers. It always favoured the industrialists," Naidu alleged.
Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala demanded that the cap of two hectares of land must be removed for the purpose of waiver of loans.
Film actress and Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan and Amar Singh were among the leaders present at the rally.
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