Mounting a strident attack on the Opposition, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said farm loan waiver was a historic corrective measure to meet the ?unpaid distress bill? left behind by the erstwhile NDA government.
Rejecting the Opposition claim that the government took the decision keeping an eye on the coming elections, an unusually combative Prime Minister said, the ?depressing? minimum support price (MSP) during the NDA regime particularly contributed to poverty and burden of indebtedness of the farming community.
Responding to a debate in the Lok Sabha on President?s Address here on Wednesday Singh also rubbished the Opposition charge that government was resorting to appeasement of minority communities, saying all efforts were made towards reducing the ?inequality? in opportunities for different sections of the society.
However, to an utter surprise to all present in the House, Singh praised his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as he said, ?Vajpayeeji is Bhishma Pitamah of Indian politics.?
?Bhishma Pitamah of Indian politics Atal Bihari Vajpayee should listen to his conscience and let national interest prevail upon narrow politics,? Singh said in the Rajya Sabha seeking support of his predecessor on the nuclear deal. He also praised Vajpayee for taking ?most courageous? steps to build peace with Pakistan.
Reverting to the farm loan issue Singh said, ?Doubts have been raised about the resources required for this write-off.? ?Let me remind the leader of the Opposition that what we have done is nothing more than picking up the unpaid distress bill which the NDA government left behind,? Singh said.
On allegations that the government was trying to appease minorities with different programmes, he said, ?We are trying to reduce inequalities of opportunities, gaps that exist between region, between classes, between urban and rural areas. This is part of the process of inclusive growth.?
In his hour-long reply, the Prime Minister touched on government?s priority areas including national security, health, education, employment and foreign policy.
Meanwhile, the entire Opposition led by BJP walked out of the House expressing dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister?s reply. The Left parties also followed suit later demanding immediate bringing forward of the Women?s Reservation Bill. Singh, however, assured the House that his government would seek the ?broadest possible consensus? within the country before moving to the next steps on the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Singh made a special reference to remarks by former US deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott that NDA government had agreed to settle for much less on the nuclear issue, evoking loud protests from BJP benches.