Uddhav threatens Maharashtra-wide stir if Fadnavis fails to waive off farmers’ loans

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena threatened Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday that farmers all across Maharashtra will hit the streets and launch an agitation if their loans are not waived off completely.

Earlier this week, the Fadnavis government had announced a compensation package of Rs 31,628 crore for farmers who suffered massive losses due to rains and floods, stating that the total assistance provided will be Rs 48,000 per hectare of land.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Fadnavis had stated that his government would announce a loan waiver in due course, adding that a comprehensive memorandum on the losses suffered by farmers is being prepared for submission to the central government.

“We are warning the government that if you do not waive off farmers’ loans completely, not only Marathwada’s farmers but farmers from all over Maharashtra will take to the streets to oppose you,” Thackeray said at a march, organised at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Saturday, to demand a complete loan waiver for flood-affected farmers.

“You (Fadnavis) need the votes of farmers to rule, but when they ask for justice, you tell them not to indulge in politics. What kind of government is this? They said that they will restructure the loans. We do not want any so-called restructuring of loans. We want debt relief and complete waiver of farmers’ loans. I have the right to demand this because when I was the Chief Minister, I had waived off farmers’ loans,” he said, addressing farmers who attended the march.

“I came to Marathwada 15 days ago. When I met the farmers, I announced that we will not rest until this government waives off all farmers’ loans. Shiv Sena is with you when you face a crisis. The demand for assistance of Rs 50,000 per hectare has been made after talking to farmers. The package announced by the Fadnavis government is unacceptable to farmers. The government’s package is a big slap and they are patting themselves on the back,” Thackeray told farmers.

He said that he was ready to support the package announced by the Fadnavis government on the condition that the Chief Minister, as was mentioned by him earlier to provide Rs 3.5 lakh per hectare of land from MGNREGA funds, to at least deposit Rs 1 lakh rupees in the bank accounts of farmers before Diwali.

“This is my challenge to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,” he told farmers.