Venkaiah Naidu's statement on loan waivers has insulted farmers: CPI(M)

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday, June 22, slammed Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu for his statement against the farmers demanding loan waiver and said that the monetary burden on cultivators is an outcome of the Centre failing to fulfil its promise of providing minimum price support.

CPI(M) leader, Sitaram Yechury, called Naidu's statement as unfortunate and said that the former's statement has insulted the farmers.

Yechury stated, "Very unfortunate statement by the honourable minister, today he is saying that loan waiver has become fashionable, tomorrow he will say that farmer suicide has also become a fashion."

He further added, "Why are our farmers committing suicide because of the loan burden. Why is the loan burden there because this government did not fulfil its promises which it made three years back of announcing a minimum support price which will be 1 times cost of production. Loan waiver comes in the background of this. So this statement is very unfortunate and this is a very big disrespect to our cultivators."

Congress spokesperson, Randeep Surjewala, echoed similar sentiments, castigating Naidu and said that the Union Minister should have not made such a harsh statements at a time when the situation in Madhya Pradesh is so volatile.

"The farmers are committing suicide and Venkaiah Naidu is saying that it has become fashion. We never thought that BJP will mock this situation. This is condemnable and shameful. In Madhya Pradesh, the government has lost his mental balance, the Chief Minister is not providing relieve facility," he added.

Naidu had remarked in the early hours of Thursday, saying that loan waiver has become fashion and should be waived in extreme situations only.

"Loan waiver has become fashion now. It should be waived but in extreme situations only. It's not a final solution. You have to take care of systems. The farmers should be taken care in distress," Naidu said at India's largest municipal bond programme.

Meanwhile, the farmers protest in Maharashtra turned violent on Thane-Badlapur highway as the protesting farmers said that their land is being acquired by the Ministry of Defence.

Additional forces have been sent to the spot including riot control vehicles.

Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district became the epicentre of farmers' agitation over a demand for loan waivers and better prices for their produce.

Six farmers were gunned down by the police during the agitation, drawing criticism from political parties.

The situation forced the district officials to impose Section 144, and restricted prominent personalities from visiting the violence-hit district.