Agencies
Osmanabad, Mar 17:
Under pressure to enlarge the ambit of Union Budget`s farm loan waiver scheme, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday said her party felt the land ceiling cap be increased to allow more farmers to benefit from the package.
"I am hopeful that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram will take appropriate steps considering the problems of farmers in different regions of the country," Gandhi said while addressing a farmers` rally here in the Marathwada region. Farmers in regions like Vidarbha and Marathwada have larger land holdings and due to scanty rainfall and "we feel the benefits must be extended to them," Gandhi said addressing a farmers` rally in this town of Marathwada region.
"This issue (of extending the benefits) was raised in parliament by some MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, and I hope that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram will take the appropriate steps," she said.
The remarks by the UPA chairperson come within ten days of similar demands made by Pawar at a farmer`s rally in neighbouring Beed district. She did not refer to Pawar or his party NCP.
"This issue was raised in Parliament by many MPs including Rahul Gandhi to extend the benefits and therefore I hope that the government will take appropriate steps," Gandhi said, in a reference to the recent speech made by her son and AICC General Secretary.
However, in an apparent reference to NCP, Congress` Maharashtra unit chief Prabha Rau asked those taking credit for the announcement, to do some "rethinking" saying, "it was due to a letter sent by us on March 10, 2006 following farmer suicides that meetings on the subject were held by various bodies including the planning commission."
Rau said such leaders must rather concentrate their energies on creating a better coordination between the Centre and state so that Maharashtra benefits.
"We felt the farmers are sad and a worried lot due to which the decision to waive the loans was taken so that four crore farmers benefit," Gandhi said.
Print This Page
Terms
and Conditions