Loan waiver: KCR teases Chandrababu

Telangana chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao, it appears, is not letting go any opportunity to take on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

At a time when Chandrababu Naidu is facing flak for his flip-flop on crop loan waiver, Telangana government has categorically said that it will implement crop loan waiver. This has added to the woes of Chandrababu, who is talking only of loan rescheduling. 

Though Chandrababu Naidu announced through the Twitter that RBI governor Raghuram Rajan had agreed to reschedule crop loans in drought and cyclone-hit mandals of AP, no official communication has come from the RBI for re-scheduling. On one side TDP is facing heat from the farmers and the main opposition party, and on the other the Telangana government  has put him in a spot. 

KCR's son KTR on Tuesday announced that the TRS government would go in for waiver of crop loans not re-schedule the loans. He also said that the government was taking serious steps to waive off the loans and also it was holding consultations with the officials concerned to fulfill its promise. Apparently, this statement from the TRS government has embarrassed Chandrababu. 

It is worth recollecting here that the main opposition party, YSRCP has raised serious of concerns of farmers. The YSRCP said that the re-scheduling of loans would hardly benefit the farmer and the TDP government did not give any clarity on the exercise. When loans are re-scheduled they are converted from short-term to long-term but the interest rate of 14 % remains stable.

The documents, gold and other assets pawned with the banks have to be released to get fresh loans. But, the Chandrababu Naidu government did not speak on any of these formalities. 

-Siva@Sakshipost