CHENNAI: Former Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Monday criticised the crop loan waiver announced by the ruling TVK government, describing it as a "half-baked" measure that failed to fulfil the promise made to farmers during the Assembly election campaign.
Thennarasu alleged that the government's claims citing Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulations are contradictory, as the party promised a comprehensive crop loan waiver in its election manifesto. He said the TVK had assured that crop loans of farmers owning less than five acres of land would be fully waived.
"After securing votes from farmers based on this promise, the government is now refusing to implement a complete loan waiver and is instead citing RBI regulations. This amounts to cheating farmers," Thennarasu alleged.
The former minister questioned why such regulatory constraints were not mentioned during the election campaign when the promise was made to voters.
"RBI rules did not appear to be an obstacle when these assurances were announced. Why are they being cited only after assuming office and when the time has come to fulfil those commitments?" he asked.
The remarks come amid criticism from opposition parties and some farmers' organisations over the government's crop loan waiver announcement and its implementation framework.