Former MP and Swambhimani Shetkari Sanghatna chief Raju Shetti on Saturday attacked the Maharashtra government for “not waiving crop loans”, claiming that helpless farmers are "dying like insects".
No matter how many farmers take such extreme steps, the government will remain “shameless”, he said, adding that the Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar dashed farmers’ hopes after declaring that there would be no loan waiver.
Speaking at an event in Baramati in Pune on March 28, Pawar had said that the current financial situation of the state did not allow for a crop loan waiver and asked farmers to pay instalments in time rather than wait for an announcement in that regard.
In a Facebook post addressed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shetti said a farmer named Sachin Jadhav from Parbhani district recently hanged himself after he failed to repay the loan that he had taken for his sister’s wedding.
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Subsequently, Sachin’s 7-month pregnant wife also took her life, leaving behind their daughters, aged 3 and 5, to their fates, said the farmer leader in the post. “Sachin somehow managed for 15 days (after Pawar’s appeal to farmers) before ending his life,” he said.
Shetti also said he would take care of the couple’s two daughters.
“Reeling under the pressure of loans, farmers are dying like insects. This is not new to Maharashtra. Fraudsters get waivers of crores of rupees, but farmers have to set themselves ablaze for a few thousand,” he wrote.
Shetti said when he visited Sachin’s home, he saw it had cracked walls, a rusted tin roof and a few broken utensils.
“The CM’s daughter secured 92 per cent in Class 10 exams. You and the entire Maharashtra are celebrating her success. The CM should ask himself what the fault of these girls (of Sachin) is,” he added.
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