Chandigarh, October 25, 2016
Deluged by a huge demand from farmers for its debt waiver forms, the Punjab Congress has decided to extend its `Karza-Kurki Khatam, Fasal Di Poori Rakam’ campaign till November 4, 2016.
Around 10 lakh additional proformas (maangpatras) will be distributed in the next 10 days, taking the total number of households reached to about 40 lakh, from the current 29.3 lakhs.
Till date, more than 9000 villages, including urban clusters, have been covered by the mega farmer outreach campaign, which has left the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) shaken with its resounding success and extraordinary impact. So much so that AAP, in a desperate bid to ape the Congress success, has come out with its own version of a debt waiver campaign, similarly involving filling up of proformas by the debt-ridden farmers.
With its excellent track record of providing loan waivers, not just in Punjab but also at the Centre, Congress has met with resounding success to its debt waiver campaign, which has culminated in the extension of the programme by 10 days.
The campaign, launched from Chandigarh by PPCC President Captain Amarinder Singh, was kickstarted on October 12 with 32 lakh mangpatras being issued to 600+ ticket aspirants of the party. Armed with 6000 forms, each of them was directed by the party president to establish mass contact with the farmers of the state, with their success being a critical determinant of their chances of getting a party ticket for the upcoming Assembly elections.
A cumulative target of getting 25 lakh mangpatras filled across Punjab was set for the campaign, scheduled to end on October 25, 2016. However, more than 29.3 lakh forms were filled up during this period as the party leaders outdid themselves in meeting their stringent targets. On an average, 25000 households have been covered in every assembly constituency so far under the programme.
As a force multiplier, spreading the message of ‘Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Di Poori Rakam’ Captain Amarinder Singh himself undertook a 3-day bus yatra in the Malwa region, which is the worst affected by the agrarian crisis.
Travelling more than 600 kilometers, holding 8 roadshows (big & small) and visiting 12 mandis across Malwa, Captain Amarinder personally got many forms filled in various mandis and villages, including Doda, Kotkapura, Bagha Purana, Faridkot, Muktsar and Guru Har Sahai.
Empathizing with the woes of the farmers, Captain Amarinder reiterated his promise of ensuring timely procurement and fair Minimum Support Price (MSP) to them once he is back in power.
A take-off from AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s UP Kisan Yatra, the Punjab debt waiver campaign underscores the party’s commitment to alleviating the sufferings of farmers in the state.