Jaya urges MK to waive off all crop loans

Tiruchirapalli, Oct 12: AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalitha today said if the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi really cared for farmers' welfare, he could waive all the crop loans obtained from national and commercial banks, to the tune of Rs 15,345 crore.

Addressing a public meeting at Tennur in the city, here tonight as part of her whirlwind campaign for the local bodies elections, she said though Karunanidhi had claimed that he had written off all the crop loans from the cooperative banks, only 20 per cent of the farmers had availed loans from these banks to the tune of Rs 6,866 crores. The remaining 80 per cent of the farmers had got loans from the national and commercial banks, she said.

Questioning Mr Karunanidhi, she said, ''if he really cares for the farmers' welfare, I am asking whether he can waive all the farm loans - cooperative and others-- to the tune of Rs 22,220 crore immediately. I want a reply from Mr Karunanidhi in this regard,'' she said.

Listing out the price difference of various essential commodities in her regime and the present DMK Government, she charged that because of the continuous price hike in the oil prices, the prices of essential commodities have shot up.

Despite the oil price drop at the international market, the Centre had not reduced the prices resulting in the steep hike in the prices of essential commodities.

Calling the government ''minority DMK Government'' throughout her speech, she said the government that failed to control and check the steep hike in the essential commodities should be taught a lesson in the ensuing local bodies elections.

Jayalalitha said the government would increase the bus fares after the local body elections to save the loss making transport corporations in the state. On the chikungunya issue, she said the Health Minister had instructed all the government and private hospitals to give wrong figure percentage of the affected, on the orders of Mr Karunanidhi.

Similarly, on the orders from the minister, police had threatened the affected people not to divulge any details about casulties to the media.

Ms Jayalalitha charged that the ruling DMK fearing defeat in the local body elections, had instructed the police to arrest AIADMK volunteers, for no reasons. She warned, ''I know the police officials, who are unleashing terror against party cadre. The time will change and when the party returns to power, I will take suitable actions against those officials,'' she said.

In his address, MDMK supremo Vaiko appealed to the electorate not to succumb to the false promises of the government and vote for the Democratic People Alliance (DPA).

UNI