SSM’s three promises: Hisab-Kitab panel, cheap power, interest-free crop loans

Rajewal, on Saturday while announcing that the party manifesto will be made public next week, also said that the Punjab Lokpal, which is now a toothless tiger, will be given more powers to take on the corrupt politicians and their partners. He added that it was a matter of common knowledge that politicians had formed syndicates to loot the revenue-generating resources of the state.

“If our morcha is voted to power, we will make all the robbers return all the looted money. We will not spare anyone,” he said.

The second significant announcement made by Rajewal on Saturday concerned small shopkeepers, dhabas and truck shop owners and those running repair workshops. “If the morcha forms the next government then we will charge power tariff from all these small shopkeepers on domestic rates instead of commercial,” he said.

Rajewal’s third announcement on Saturday involved farmers, who take crop loans from cooperative banks. The SSM president said that if they are voted to power no interest will be charged from farmers who repay their crop loans on time. He said that as of now the rate of interest on such crop loans was 7 per cent, but 3 per cent subvention is given by the Central Government and farmers have to still pay 4 per cent interest on these loans. “Our government will not charge any interest on loans that are advanced by cooperative banks twice – for Rabi and Kharif crops- in a year and which farmers have to return after every crop cycle,” he said. Talking about the morcha’s campaign strategy, he said it will pick up from where the farm agitation had ended and would become stronger in days to come. Rajewal said that his Bhartiya Kisan Union would take part on January 31 in the “ Vishvasghat Divas” for which call has been given by the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha(SKM). He said that he had directed the members of his union to take part in the divas in a big way. He said that he had submitted documents proving the corruption by some AAP leaders but AAP national convener, Arvind Kejriwal, ignored it.