Rajasthan Congress to launch state-level farmer's rally on Tuesday; will seek blanket crop loan waiver

New Delhi: The Rajasthan unit of the Congress is all set to launch a state-level farmers’ rally on Tuesday to demand a blanket crop loan waiver. The “Kisan Nyaya Padyatra”, which will traverse 100 kilometres, will commence from Baran on Tuesday and culminate in Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s constituency of Jhalawar. [caption id=“attachment_2308530” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Sachin Pilot. AFP[/caption] “The Raje government wants to take political mileage out of the farm loan waiver issue. There should be no politics on it. We will put pressure on the government for immediate announcement of a complete farm loan waiver,” Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot told PTI in an interview. He alleged Raje and her ministers were “insensitive” towards the issue of farmers’ suicides and that none of them visited any of the families of the farmers who ended their lives. He said there had been a pressing need to alleviate agrarian distress and the state government had announced it would form a committee to see if it can grant a waiver of up to Rs 50,000. “This is completely unacceptable. We will put pressure on the anti-farmer BJP government of Vasundhara Raje to announce a complete farm loan waiver,” the former Union minister said. Pilot accused the BJP government of “betraying” farmers, common people and the youth, and said the Congress will not only expose the BJP for failing to keep its promises but it’s preparing a “better alternative governance model”. The model will focus on “handling issues relating to education, labour, sanitation among others”. “And, we will not renege on our promises. The Congress will present itself as a better alternative in the upcoming assembly elections,” he said. Asked if he was ready to contest the Ajmer Lok Sabha bypoll, necessitated following the demise of the sitting BJP MP, he said: “I am ready if the party decided to field me. The final decision rests with the AICC.”