By Sujeet Kumar, IANS,
Raipur : The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will provide loans to farmers at four percent interest if voted to power, promises Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh, confident that the grouping will get a clear majority in the parliamentary elections.
While vowing to help farmers with a lending rate of four percent — half the eight percent of the state-run State Bank of India — Rajnath Singh also lashed out at the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for its economic policies.
“If voted to power, loan to farmers would be given at just four percent,” Rajnath Singh told IANS while traversing Chhattisgarh in a helicopter during his daylong campaign Wednesday.
“What’s the achievement of the UPA government. It’s claim to have curbed prices is the biggest joke of the 21st century. Inflation rate may have come down but prices of essential commodities are going up and up.”
He also attacked the UPA for its policies on terrorism.
Referring to the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack, he said the UPA had failed “to exert enough pressure on the Pakistan government through the international community to act to dismantle the terror infrastructure existing in Pakistan, often used for carrying terror attacks in India”.
“Terrorism will be accepted as a challenge if the NDA comes to power and we will take all steps needed to root out terrorism from the country.”
He exuded confidence about the NDA’s electoral prospects.
“No one should be in confusion about the poll outcome of the April/May general elections. The NDA will get a clear majority and the BJP will be the single largest party,” he said.
“Nation needs NDA rule for security, development and social harmony and I am sure people will vote for bringing the NDA back to power.”
Losing alliance partner, Orissa’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), ahead of the elections was not such a big deal, the BJP president felt.
“The BJD decision came in as a total surprise but NDA lost one ally and got three new partners — Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in UP, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in Haryana and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in Assam.
“NDA alliance partners numbers have gone up in recent months while the Congress has been left alone by its partners with parties led by Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan besides PMK in Tamil Nadu ditching it.”
Rajnath Singh, who addressed three public meetings Wednesday in remote villages in Korba, Janjgir-Champa and Durg parliamentary constituencies to kickstart the party’s poll campaign in the state, reiterated the BJP’s support for its Pilibhit candidate Varun Gandhi who has been charged with inciting violence through communal speeches.
Varun Gandhi, who has been slapped with National Security Act by the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh and is now in jail, was a “peace loving leader”.
“Does he deserve to be booked under NSA? Has he ever committed any crime? It’s really too much for a peace-loving young leader. The BJP can’t be a mute spectator of such harassment.”