House stalled over farm loan waiver

Mumbai: While aggressively pushing its agenda of waiving off loans to the farmers, the opposition parties on Wednesday got a shot in the arm when the ruling Shiv Sena too joined them in stalling the assembly proceedings. Cornered by all, the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it is willing to waive off the loans but at a time of their choice. The opposition indicated that it would not mellow down till the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government does not promise a loan waiver in the house.

Opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said, “Nearly 9,000 farmers have committed suicides in the past two years. In just two months of 2017, 117 farmers committed suicide in Marathwada alone. Loan waiving is the only way to give immediate relief to these distressed farmers.”

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar slammed the BJP government for its inaction on the farmer issue and agricultural crisis in the state. “The number of farmers committing suicide has increased in Marathwada and Vidarbha, but the government is busy helping industrialists than farmers.”

After listening to both the leaders, assembly speaker Haribhau Bagade asked them to raise the issue while discussing the Governor’s speech, but the opposition remained firm on its demands. Agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar said, “The CM has cleared the government’s stand earlier. We will introduce new schemes to prevent farmer suicides. The government is ready to write off the loans but we first need to see that it will help the right people.”

Some Shiv Sena MLAs joined the opposition in the well. Sena leader Eknath Shinde said, “The Sena has been behind the welfare of farmers all the time. So it is in our right to make demand in a legitimate way.” However, Mr Vikhe Patil later taunted the Sena over joining them in the house saying, “If you want to fight for farmers then resign from government and join us.”