Rahul Gandhi: Won't let PM rest until all farm loans waived

New Delhi, Dec 18 Addressing India's distressed farmers specifically from outside Parliament, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said he won't let Prime Minister Narendra Modi rest until the point that all farm loans have been waived.

In a stinging attack on what he depicted as crony capitalism, Gandhi said the government has chosen not to see to the loans given to 15 top industrialists of the nation, including Reliance Group chairperson Anil Ambani, however effort to lighten the burdens of the agriculturists in the last four and half years.

"We guaranteed to waive loans in 10 days. In two states, we did it inside six hours and we would do it in the third state soon," Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament.

He was referring to the Congress' recently framed governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh satisfying guarantees made in front of the Assembly polls and waiving loans on Monday. A Congress government, driven by Ashok Gehlot, was also sworn in Rajasthan.

"We won't let Prime Minister Narendra Modi rest until loans of all farmers are deferred," the Congress president said.

Issuing a test to the prime minister, Gandhi stated, "If the Modi government does not defer cultivate credits, we assurance to forgo cultivate advances whenever casted a ballot to control in 2019."

He also claimed that the loans of friends of Modi and BJP president Amit Shah had been deferred.

Alleging that Rs 3.5 lakh crore was waived for 15 people, including for Anil Ambani, he said poor people and small shopkeepers were on one side and the group of industrialists on the other.

He guaranteed the people that the Congress and all other opposition parties would stand by them.

Terming demonetisation the world's biggest scam, Gandhi said the government has stolen from the public, shopkeepers and farmers.

"There will be a lot typos coming now," he said when gotten some information about government's case on the "error" in the affirmation given to the Supreme Court on the Rafale issue.

The government claimed in its affidavit that the Rafale pricing issue has been investigated by the CAG whose report has been talked about in Parliament's Public Accounts Committee.

Raising the issue of alleged corruption in the Rafale fighter jet deal, he accused the BJP of running away from a debate in Parliament.

"We will force a JPC on the Rafale issue. For what reason are they (government and BJP) fleeing from a discussion in Parliament," Gandhi said.

Gandhi, however, skirted a question on Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and the apology demanded by the BJP from him after he was convicted by the Delhi High Court a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

He also did not answer a question on Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's statement about workers from Bihar and said he will ascertain the facts before speaking on it.

Nath was cited as saying that workers from Madhya Pradesh were being denied jobs and many industries offered work to workes from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.