Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (DC)

Bengaluru, Jun 19: B S Yeddyurappa, leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly on Monday, June 19 said that he would wait for the coalition government in the state to present the budget and take a call on future course of action on farm loans waiver.

Speaking to media persons here, Yeddyurappa said, "I have apprised the party leadership on everything that is happening. We will wait for the budget to be tabled."

He further said, "Farmers in Karnataka today are suffering because they are in a state of confusion. The previous Congress government, which wrote off short-term farm loans in the cooperative sector, is yet to reimburse about Rs 3,500 to 4,000 crore to cooperative banks. As a result, farmers are not able to get fresh loans, especially during the start of the sowing season."

Lashing out at Kumaraswamy for asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to chip in 50% for farm loan waiver, Yeddyurappa said, “BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra waived loans without any help from the Centre."

Yeddyurappa also criticized the coalition government and said, “Add to this the fact that some Congress leaders feel there should be a full-fledged budget. In all, there is complete confusion in this coalition government. Kumaraswamy must go through his poll promises before presenting his budget. He will realize that reality is completely different."

Earlier on May 30, when Kumaraswamy sought 15 days time to announce a blueprint on how the loan waiver would be implemented, Yeddyurappa had warned of statewide protest if Kumaraswamy failed to waive off farm loans.

Earlier, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders during their first co-ordination committee meeting had opined that decision on farm loan waiver must be taken seeing the financial position of the state. They had also favored presenting a supplementary budget instead of full-pledged one.

But Kumaraswamy had opined that since he was leading the coalition government, he must include the promises made during the elections including farm loan waiver in the new budget. Siddaramaiah had told Karnataka in-charge K C Venugopal too that there was no need to present a new budget. In the co-ordination committee meeting too Congress leaders expressed serious doubts about the fiscal position of the state and whether it could take on a huge burden by waiving loans.

But Kumaraswamy who holds the finance portfolio spoke to media persons after the meeting and said that he has already decided to present a new budget in July.