Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2023: CM Bhupesh Baghel's big move, promises to waive off farmers' loans

In a major announcement ahead of the next month’s assembly polls, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel on Monday said if his party Congress retains power in the state, loans of farmers will be written off. 

The Congress had made a similar promise ahead of the 2018 assembly polls to farmers, a move which contributed in the party recording a landslide win and ending the 15-year rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Baghel government had earlier said it fulfilled the 2018 promise and waived agriculture loans worth Rs 9,270 crore of 18.82 lakh farmers in the state.

Addressing a function in the Sakti assembly constituency with just a fortnight left for the first phase of polling, the CM urged people to re-elect the Congress to power so that the party’s government writes off loans of farmers like it did after victory five years ago.

“The (opposition) BJP is yet to make any announcements for farmers, labourers, women or youths. (Party leader) Rahul Gandhi ji announced that a caste census will be conducted (if Congress retains power in Chhattisgarh). (Another Congress leader) Priyanka ji promised to provide houses to the poor. We have already announced that we will buy 20 quintals (per acre) of paddy from farmers,” he said.

The ruling party had earlier made three key promises — caste census, procurement of 20 quintals of paddy per acre and houses for 17.5 lakh people — if it is re-elected to office. “Today, I want to make an announcement from this stage — farmers’ loans will be waived if you elect the Congress to power again,” Baghel said without providing details of the proposed measure. “We will give many more guarantees,” he assured.

Hitting out at the BJP, Baghel warned that if the saffron party comes to power by “mistake”, then neither 20 quintals paddy per acre will be procured nor Swami Atmanand schools will be operated. Last year, the Chhattisgarh government had decided to open 32 Swami Atmanand Government Hindi Medium Schools for the academic year 2022-23 on the lines of English medium ones.

“The BJP will stop all welfare schemes of the incumbent Congress government, including cow dung procurement programme,” he cautioned at the gathering. Later, talking to reporters in Raipur, Baghel justified the loan waiver announcement and said the country’s economy gains strengthen when farmers become empowered.

Queried about the need for a fresh loan waiver when farmers are already getting input subsidy under the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojna, the CM said, “When farmers become empowered, the country’s economy will be strengthened. In the last five years we saw business and trade grow in Chhattisgarh and there was no impact of economic slowdown. The money which went into accounts of farmers has reached the market but if big businessmen are given money, it will not reach the market.” The Centre has written off loans of big industrialists, but it has ignored farmers, said the Congress leader in an attack on the BJP.

“The central government waived loans to the tune of Rs 14.50 lakh crore of big industrialists but what impact that move had on India’s economy? But in Chhattisgarh, loans of farmers were written off and its (positive) impact was seen in business and in their lives,” he added. Asked whether he sees the loan waiver promise as ‘Brahmastra’ (a powerful weapon), the CM replied in the negative.

“No, we don’t believe in violence. If Brahamastra is released, it takes someone’s life and we don’t believe in violence. We believe in sharing happiness. You can see happiness on the faces of 36.50 lakh farmers and their families (after loan waiver was promised),” Baghel said.

In an interview to PTI last week, Baghel had called farmers a decisive factor in the outcome of the assembly elections in the state and said their support will help the ruling Congress achieve its target of winning 75-plus seats in a 90-member House. Polling in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases on November 7 (20 seats) and 17 (70 seats).

Meanwhile, senior BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar said Baghel should clarify which loans he will waive as last time farmers were “ditched” by the Congress. “Bhupesh Baghel ji should first clarify which loans he will waive. Is it short-term, mid-term or long-term loans and of which bank? Last time, his government waived only short-term loans of cooperative societies, but didn’t write off other loans due to which farmers are feeling ditched,” Chandrakar alleged.

“He should first explain the actual meaning of his loan waiver promise as he says something else and does something else,” the BJP legislator claimed. Poll analyst R Krishna Das termed Baghel’s announcement as a “masterstroke” ahead of polling.

“In 2019, the CM had said loan waiver was one-time thing and won’t be repeated next year. But now, he has used this as an election masterstroke. At the same time it also shows the next month’s polls will not be an easy ride for the Congress,” Das said.

The Congress government has undoubtedly consolidated its position in rural and semi-urban areas of the state in the last five years through its three flagship pro-farmer ‘Nyay’ schemes, said the poll analyst. Now, the ruling party’s promise of a farm loan waiver is going to be a challenge for the BJP which is eyeing a comeback to power, he said.