Such was the rush to claim credit for the “major announcements” that a day before the February 26 Insaaf Rally organised jointly by his party and the BJP, SAD (Badal) chief Sukhbir Badal accused state Congress leaders of trying to take undue credit for impending announcements pertaining to the farmers.

Incidentally, The Indian Express had reported on February 25 that a tussle had erupted between the SAD-BJP combine and the Congress over the issue of who got credit for special concessions to be announced for farmers in the Union Budget.

In Andhra Pradesh, ever since it held its first farmers rally in Vijayawada on November 24 last year where several leaders of the UNPA’s coalition partners also shared stage, TDP leaders were campaigning in rural Andhra for waiver of farm loans. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu toured all districts assuring farmers that his party had demanded a loan waiver and promised that if the Centre didn’t do it, he would, if elected. On Saturday, at his TDP office, Naidu remarked with a wry smile that the UPA government “stole the TDP’s idea.”

In Maharashtra, the NCP released full-page advertisements in local newspapers today on its “Vachanpurti” (fulfilment of promise) on waiving farmers’ loans. Although the advertisement thanks the UPA government and displays pictures of Sonia and Manmohan Singh, besides Pawar, the punchline stresses that “the NCP is committed towards making the farming nation prosper”.

The Shiv Sena also took credit for the waiver claiming it was a result of “cracking of its whip.” Uddhav Thackeray had organised numerous rallies across the state over the past few months demanding the waiver.

... contd.