Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: From tractor rallies in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to the symbolic burning of GR copies on farm loan waiver in Nanded and Hingoli, Shiv Sena (UBT) staged coordinated protests across Marathwada on Tuesday to press for a comprehensive and unconditional farm loan waiver.
MLC Ambadas Danve, the former leader of opposition in the legislative council, led the protests that drew large crowds of party workers, office bearers and farmers. They all gathered outside district collectorates to submit memorandums detailing a long list of grievances plaguing the agriculture sector.
Addressing the protesters, Danve said, “Govt is trying to project that it is helping farmers, but the ground reality tells a different story. The farming community is crushed under debt, battling falling crop prices, fertiliser shortages, erratic electricity supply and endless delays in crop insurance payouts. What they need is not conditional relief, but a complete and unconditional loan waiver.”
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, hundreds of party workers and farmers participated in a tractor rally, converging at the divisional commissioner’s office. Protesters raised slogans demanding an immediate blanket loan waiver, accusing state govt of turning a blind eye to the deepening agrarian crisis.
In Nanded and Hingoli, party workers set fire to copies of the GR on the loan waiver scheme against what they described as a “hollow and conditional” relief package by state govt. Similar demonstrations echoed across Beed, Jalna, Parbhani, Dharashiv and Latur districts.
Danve further warned that the crisis, if left unaddressed, could spiral further. “Rising input costs, repeated natural calamities and poor returns have pushed farmers to the brink. Govt cannot afford to delay decisive action any longer,” he said, warning that the party would intensify its agitation if govt failed to respond positively to the demands.
Former MP Chandrakant Khaire emphasised that the synchronised protests across Marathwada were meant to force govt to confront the severity of the crisis. “This is not just a political protest, it is a reflection of the pain and desperation of farmers. We are demanding a blanket loan waiver with no conditions, no exclusions,” he said.
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