SAD-BJP delegation meet Punjab Governor on farm debt issue

A joint SAD-BJP delegation today urged Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore to direct the Congress government to implement a Rs 90,000 crore farm loan waiver.
The delegation also wants the state government to get all sacrilege cases of the previous SAD-BJP government as well as the present Congress tenure inquired by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, a party release said here.
The joint delegation, headed by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and BJP state president Vijay Sampla, briefed the governor about the manner in which the Congress government has "lied, deceived and betrayed farmers by refusing to honour its commitment of a complete loan waiver," the release said.

The Congress government should implement a complete Rs 90,000 crore farm loan waiver for all farmers and ensure loans of farm labourers and dalits are also waived, as promised by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh during his poll campaign.
Badal said only a limited loan of a few per cent of the indebted farmers was being considered for waiver despite cabinet decisions and even an assurance by the chief minister in the legislative assembly about complete loan waiver.
"Small farmers who had incurred a loan of more than Rs two lakh have been kept out of its ambit and even marginal farmers with 2.5 acres of land are virtually kept out of the scheme," said Badal.

SAD MPs Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Prem Singh Chandumajra, who were part of the delegation, alleged that more farmers were committing suicide due to the "flawed nature" of the scheme.
In a separate memorandum, the delegation also urged the governor to ask the Congress government to set up an inquiry headed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court to go into all cases of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib during the tenure of the SAD-BJP government and the current regime.