Mumbai, Dec 18 (NationPress) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) launched a fierce critique of the Mahayuti government on Thursday, following reports that a financially distressed farmer from Maharashtra allegedly sold his kidney in Cambodia to settle debts with moneylenders.

The party's official publication, 'Saamana', featured an editorial titled "A Blot on the Soil", which characterized the occurrence not merely as a crime but as a "blight on the conscience of a self-proclaimed progressive state".

In a pointed message connected to the upcoming municipal elections, the Thackeray faction cautioned the "Marathi Manoos" that a government unable to safeguard the physical integrity of its farmers cannot be trusted with the state's assets. "Today it is a kidney; tomorrow, if these exploiters are not halted, they will auction off the entire state," they asserted.

The editorial brought attention to the tragic case of Roshan Sadashiv Kude, a farmer from Chandrapur in the Vidarbha region. After experiencing complete crop failure on his four-acre land and losing his livestock to disease, Kude fell victim to a cycle of debt. Despite having sold half of his land, his tractor, and household items, he struggled to meet the exorbitant daily interest of Rs 10,000 demanded by local moneylenders.

It was noted with dismay that the moneylender allegedly "advised" and facilitated the farmer's trip to Cambodia for the organ sale. "In the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, where farmers ought to be protected, they are being sold off piece by piece in foreign lands," the editorial lamented.

The Thackeray faction accused the state government of being "drunk on power" and neglecting the rural crisis. They highlighted that while the government focuses on "event management" and rolling out pre-election initiatives, the agricultural foundation of the state is crumbling. "The Deputy Chief Minister speaks of 'New Maharashtra,' but in this 'New Maharashtra,' a farmer must cross borders to sell his kidney just to survive. The "administrative dacoity" regarding municipal exploitation has now extended to the very bodies of the impoverished," it claimed.

The editorial also criticized the police, asserting that if they had acted against the four moneylenders, who are currently in custody, the farmer's life could have been spared. Nationally, farmers are grappling with a staggering debt of Rs 12 lakh crore, with Maharashtra's farmers carrying a burden of Rs 8 lakh crore. It is ironic that the Centre, which forgives industrial debts, offers little relief to farmers struggling under the weight of loans, leading many to consider suicide.

The editorial pointed out that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had promised a crop loan waiver before the state Assembly elections, yet has seemingly forgotten this commitment after taking office.

The Thackeray faction has called for immediate and "relentless" action against the moneylenders and the international syndicate involved in the kidney trafficking operation.

They have demanded a thorough investigation into the international organ trafficking connections between Maharashtra and Cambodia, a debt waiver, and an urgent review of private lending practices in Vidarbha and Marathwada. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has also called for the resignation of the Agriculture Minister in light of the state's failure to protect its farmers.