Friday’s meeting may have helped the CM and Bharatiya Janata Party to placate Sena for now on the issue of farm-loan waiver
To provide a loan waiver for 31.5 lakh farmers across Maharashtra, who owe Rs.30,500 crores to various banks, the state government is willing to share the burden with Centre, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday on the eve of budget presentation in the legislative assembly. Leading a delegation, comprising of cabinet ministers from alliance partner Shiv Sena, Fadnavis met finance minister Arun Jaitley and agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh to discuss the issue of farm-loan waiver.
“We want to keep the indebted farmers within the institutional credit system by making investments. We told the Centre that if they can formulate a special scheme for farm loan waiver, the state will participate and spend out of its own resources. Jaitleyji has assured that we will think positively on the issue,” Fadnavis said.
Friday’s meeting may have helped the CM and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to placate Sena for now on the issue of farm-loan waiver. It comes in the backdrop of protests by the opposition parties and even ally Shiv Sena, who have demanded a farm loan waiver. On Thursday, Sena legislators had exhorted Fadnavis to take up the issue with Centre.
Sena’s MLA’s have in fact been on the offensive on the issue after BJP swept the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, after promising a farm loan waiver.
Earlier during the budget session, Sena had even hinted that it will obstruct the proceedings during budget presentation, if the demand for a farm-loan waiver is not heeded. But, Friday’s meeting with Centre’s ministers may help Fadnavis tide over the remainder of the budget session without further hiccups.
Following the meeting, senior Sena leader and environment minister Ramdas Kadam said, “We will speak to Uddhavji regarding today’s meeting and accordingly decide the future course of action.”
While Sena has been pushing for a farm-loan waiver, Chief Minister Fadnavis asked the opposition in the House on Thursday if there is a guarantee that farm-loan waiver will halt farmer suicides. “After loans were waived off in 2008, 16,000 farmers committed suicide till 2014. We need to create mechanism to help farmers,” Fadnavis had said. While the state’s 31.5 lakh farmers owe Rs.30,5000 crore in farm debt, the government’s capital expenditure itself is Rs.31,000 crore.
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