Karnataka bandh: Kumaraswamy doesn’t want to be pressurised on farm loan waiver

In the backdrop of the BJP calling for a Karnataka bandh, Chief Minister of Karnataka, H D Kumaraswamy has said that there was no need for any farmer association to pressurise him.

"I am one step ahead of you to work for the farmers. You need not have to ask me for my resignation over farm loan waiver. If I fail to do that then I myself will resign from the post. Farm loan waiver is my priority. Can't you wait for a week? Even the cabinet has not been formed yet," he said.

Kumaraswamy urged farmers not to take the extreme step of committing suicide and to wait for a week as he was in the process of finding a way out to waive loans, not just of cooperative societies,but also nationalised banks.

His remarks came in the wake of BJP's call for a statewide bandh on Monday, demanding immediate waiver of farm loans, as promised by the JD(S) in their manifesto.

The JD(S) leadership has been saying they have to seek the consent of its coalition partner Congress before taking any decision.

To a question on the Congress demand that the finance portfolio be given to it, he said it was quite natural for them to ask it as some in the party believed they could deliver better.