MUMBAI: The treasury benches and the Opposition clashed against each other on Wednesday over the demand for farm loan waivers and discussion on the rise in farmer suicides on the third day of the Maharashtra state legislative assembly’s monsoon session.
After the TNIE report of 767 farmers committing suicide in three months, the Opposition upped the ante against the ruling party, demanded a farm loan waiver and discussed over farmers' issue.
However, treasury benches refused discussion, saying the Opposition should first issue the notice of motion, then the speaker of the state assembly should hold the discussion over the farmer suicide issue on the floor of the House in the state legislative assembly.
Intervening, state assembly speaker Rahul Narvekar said he will consult both parties and hold the discussion on the farmers' issue on Thursday.
TNIE on Tuesday reported that between January 2025 to March, in three months, 767 farmers committed suicide, and the majority of the farmers' suicides took place in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.
NCP SP MLA and former minister Jayant Patil, raising the demand for discussion on farmers' suicide, said that the state government is running away from the discussion and only extending lip service to the farmers' issue.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said that he and his government are committed to the farmers' issue. He said they are not running away but are ready to discuss the farmers' issue at any time, but proper rule books should be followed. “Our government will always stand with the farmers on any given day. We are not only orally saying, but we are doing it in action as well. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy, and resolving the farmers' issue is our top priority,” Ajit Pawar said.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said that the BJP-led state government has a brutal majority; therefore, they decided not to listen to the voice of the Opposition and ignored their demand for discussion. “We raised our voice, but the speaker of the House did not pay attention; therefore, we decided to walk out of the House in protest. During the state assembly elections, the BJP and Mahayuti promised a farm loan waiver, but after coming to power, they forgot their promise of a loan waiver. We are against the anti-farmer policies of the state government and continue to raise our voice,” Congress MLA said.
Congress MLA Nana Patole, who was suspended from the house proceedings for a day, said that he raised the farmers' issue in the House; therefore, the BJP-led government suspended him. “But I want to tell the BJP and its top leaders, I am ready to get suspended for the farmer issue. I will not stop raising my voice. I am ready to sacrifice my MLA post as well for the farmers' issues. I am the person who lost his Lok Sabha MP post over the farmers' issue only. Therefore, I am not going to be afraid of threats by the ruling party,” a former Maharashtra Congress leader said.