Submits memorandum to governor: Congress demands farm loan waiver, probe by HC judge into groundnut ‘scam’

The Congress leaders said that the inquiry currently being done by CID-Crime was focussing merely on five groundnut godowns that were gutted under mysterious circumstances.

‘Inquiry should cover all 259 groundnut godowns’

A delegation of Congress, leaders, including state party president Amit Chavda and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Paresh Dhanani, on Monday submitted a memorandum to Governor O P Kohli, reiterating their demand for waiving of farm loans and ordering a probe into the alleged Rs 4,000 crore groundnut purchase scam under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Gujarat High Court. They also raised the issue of land re-survey done allegedly in an inappropriate manner.

Stating that farmers had suffered a lot owing to a variety of reasons, the party demanded immediate waiver of farm loans and proper arrangement of fodder for animals, drinking water and irrigation water from the Narmada dam to areas in north Gujarat, Kutch and Saurashtra regions that received scanty rainfall this monsoon.

Alleging that over Rs 4,000 crores were “looted’’ from the public exchequer through purchase of groundnut at minimum support price (MSP) through various agencies approved by NAFED, the memorandum demanded a detailed inquiry into the issue under the supervision of a sitting HC judge.

Story continues below this ad

The Congress leaders said that the inquiry currently being done by CID-Crime was focussing merely on five groundnut godowns that were gutted under mysterious circumstances.

They demanded that the inquiry should cover all 259 godowns where the groundnut purchased by the government was stored to bring out the truth in the case. They said the committee of inquiry set up under a retired judge to look into fire at four godowns of groundnut is an “eye-wash”.

In its memorandum submitted to the governor, the Congress appealed to him to allow people to hold non-violent protests by doing away with the need to seek prior permission of authorities.

The demand comes days after the authorities denied permission to Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel to hold fast at a ground in Ahmedabad and later in Gandhinagar.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram