Congress accuses BJP of 'cheating' rural women over micro finance loan waive off promise

GUWAHATI: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party led Assam Government of 'cheating' the rural women of the state since the party has failed to waive off their microfinance loans as they have promised before the assembly election and said Himanta Biswa Sarma is 'trapped in his own trick'.

In the last assembly election, the BJP has announced to waive off microfinance loans of all the women if they come to power again, right after Congress' announcement regarding the same, and now since the BJP alliance is in power, they should fulfill each and every promise as chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said, Ripun Bora said in his statement.

"Like any other promises, instead of fulfilling their (BJP) promise to waive off the microfinance loans of Assam's rural women, will they cheat these women by implicating a long list of terms and conditions?" Bora asked.

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Bora also reminded that the Congress has already asked the Government to take action against these microfinance companies for providing loans with unfair means by violating Reserve Bank of India's guidelines and also raised a non-government bill in the Assam Assembly, 2019, responding to that, then Finance and now Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has assured to take into consideration as well.

Congress also questioned the terms set by Minister Ashok Singhal's committee by pointing out a few, where the committee has suggested that the families with below Rs 1,00,000 per annum income and families with no four-wheelers and refrigerator will be eligible for the loan waive off, and said, "In that way not a majority of the women's will be benefitted."

"Since the government has only decided to waive off the loans of the banks which have provided loans under the Reserve Bank of India's guidelines, hence exactly how many of such banks are in Assam and how many of them are not? If there were banks that have been providing loans without following RBI guidelines then why no action has not been taken by the government against those?" Bora questioned the government.

Bora alleged, "The government is trying to decrease the numbers of the beneficiaries by implicating these rules so that they could hit two birds with one stone. The government is in a financial crunch and they have understood that they cannot afford to wave off Rs 12,000.

"Failed to deliver what he has promised in hope of earning a few votes, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma is now trapped in his own trick," Bora added.

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