Rohit warns of intensified stir from June 29, says loan waiver scheme to exclude 70% farmers

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Friday intensified his attack on Mahayuti govt during his tour of Marathwada, saying the state’s farm loan waiver scheme would leave nearly 70% of farmers out. He warned that a large-scale statewide agitation would begin on June 29 if govt failed to deliver on its promises.Speaking to the media, Pawar rejected speculation of split within NCP (SP), saying although BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena might be trying to reach out to his party’s MPs, “our MPs will not split.” He alleged that attempts were being made to engineer defections to secure numbers ahead of the proposed delimitation exercise. Pawar said one of the six former Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs who switched sides could be rewarded with a Union ministerial post.He also alleged that the defecting MPs had received Rs 90 crore to Rs 60 crore in cash, without providing any evidence.Ahead of the proposed ‘Yalgar Annadatyacha’ (Shetkari Elgar) protest in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pawar toured Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani and Jalna, concluding his visit with a meeting of party office bearers and allied leaders. He said the June 29 agitation would highlight key issues like farm loan waiver, compensation for farmers affected by excessive rainfall, crop insurance, Marathwada’s developmental backlog, and alleged irregularities in MPSC and NEET examinations.

“The fight will now have to be taken to the streets,” Pawar said, adding that the protest was aimed at securing justice for farmers and the common people.Pawar alleged that the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karja-Mukti Yojana included restrictive conditions that would render nearly 70% of cultivators, around 36 lakh farmers, ineligible. He also criticised govt for naming the scheme after Ahilyadevi Holkar while excluding such a significant section of farmers, calling it an insult to the revered historical figure.Referring to his earlier indefinite hunger strike in Pandharpur, Pawar said he had called it off only after minister Girish Mahajan assured him that govt would address the issues raised. “If govt fails to honour the assurance given in Pandharpur, we will take to the streets. The agitation will begin in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on June 29,” he said.Questioning govt’s track record, Pawar alleged that while the then Fadnavis-led govt had announced a Rs 34,000-crore loan waiver in 2017, only Rs 19,000 crore was actually implemented.

He said MVA govt later waived loans worth Rs 20,000 crore, along with an additional Rs 5,000 crore.In Hingoli, Pawar warned against any attempt to curb the protest. “If the police stop our rasta roko protest, we will convert it into a jail bharo agitation,” he said, claiming that 4.5 lakh hectares of crops in the district were damaged last year, and that the Rs 1,200-crore compensation due to Hingoli was yet to be disbursed.On Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Dina Patil’s remarks against journalists, Pawar emphasised the need for restraint. “It is extremely important for any leader to have control over their words. Every leader should mind their language,” he said.