Guj: Congress promises farm loan waiver if voted to power

Ahmedabad: The Congress on Friday promised that if the party is voted to power in Gujarat, where Assembly elections are due by the year end, it would waive farm loans of up to Rs 3 lakh and provide free electricity for 10 hours daily to farmers in the state.

Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor also said that his party would bring a law to prohibit the purchase of farm produce below the minimum support price (MSP).

Notably, the Opposition party in BJP-ruled state made these announcements days after the new entrant AAP made a host of promises, including free electricity of up to 300 units every month and allowance for unemployed youths as well as women above the age of 18 years of age.

"Though the ruling BJP claims that Gujarat is a power surplus state, farmers are not getting adequate electricity for agriculture. If Congress comes to power, it will provide free electricity to farmers for 10 hours, that too during the day. We will also withdraw penalties and cases of electricity theft lodged against farmers," Thakor said in a press conference here. Other senior Congress leaders, such as Arjun Modhwadia and Tushar Chaudhary, held press conferences in Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara on Friday to make announce these promises.