Loan waiver: CM Kumaraswamy to hold meeting with farmers association tomorrow

Under pressure to deliver on his promise of a farm loan waiver, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has called for a meeting with farmers association at Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

This comes days after former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa ramped up the pressure on the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government, giving it a deadline of week for the announcement.

Meanwhile, a group of pro-Kannada organisations have demanded that the chief minister waive farm loans and give a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to each family of those farmers who committed suicide.

The president of Kannada Okkoota (federation), Vatal Nagaraj today wrote to the chief minister and asked him to immediately waive farm loans.

He said many farmers committed suicide for failing to repay their loans.

Nagaraj told PTI that the Okkoota would give a week's time till the cabinet is formed and then it would intensify its pressure on the government to waive farm loans.

Kumaraswamy said on Monday that he would inform the people about the waiver of Rs 53,000 crore worth of farm loans, which he had promised, on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Kumaraswamy said that he would resign if he was not able to waive loans and asked people to "wait for 2-3 days". "I definitely do not need to learn how to be pro-people from the BJP. People should not fall victim to political witch-hunt of BJP leaders," the CM said.

On the loan waiver issue, he said: "I am not at the mercy of the 6.5 crore population of the State, but obligated to the Congress."

"I am have become the Chief Minister for the welfare of the farmers. I am with you (farmers)," he said, accusing the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa of instigating farmers on this issue and dividing the society.