Stop arresting farmers for loan recovery : Virsa Singh Baltoha

5 Dariya News

Chandigarh 23-Dec-2017

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today castigated the Congress government for arresting farmers after branding them as defaulters, even as it demanded immediate implementation of the promised complete loan waiver scheme.  In a release here, SAD spokesman Virsa Singh Valtoha said the state government had started using cruel and torturous methods against farmers to coerce them to clear their bank loans. “Punjab Agricultural Development Bank officials are publicly humiliating farmers by arresting them and holding Dharnas in front of their houses. The entire exercise is being backed by the Congress government proving it did not have any intention of waiving off farmer loans". Giving details of a incident in GuruharSahai where bank officials got two farmers arrested for not paying their bank dues yesterday, the SAD leader said the PAD bank officials got Vazir Singh of village Chakk Shikargah and Jagir Singh of village Megha Rai arrested for non-payment of bank dues and branded them as defaulters before sending them to jail. Stating such behaviour amounted to backstabbing farmers who were promised a Rs 90,000 crore loan waiver, Valtoha said the SAD would come out with an action plan to ensure no farmer was arrested for defaulting on loan payment. Holding the Congress government responsible for the rising number of farm suicides in the state, the SAD leader said around 400 farmers had committed suicide due to the anti-farmer policies of the Amarinder Singh government. He said using cruel methods for loan recovery would further push the distressed farmer community into depression and result in further rise in farm suicides.