Mumbai, Oct 31 (NationPress) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray urged the BJP-led Mahayuti government to immediately cancel farmers' loans to prevent further suffering.

In a letter to the administration, he questioned whether farmers are obligated to pay current installments if the loans are set to be waived.

He emphasized that farmers are buried under massive debts and have been severely impacted by natural disasters. Thackeray remarked, "The government's callous and indifferent approach has merely attempted to delay action while farmers endure a dire crisis."

"What can a committee study and report when the farmers' plight is evident? If a loan waiver is promised for June next year, should farmers be making payments now?" he questioned.

He continued with pressing inquiries: "If these payments are to be waived, why should farmers make them now? Will they be able to secure loans for the Rabi crop without settling their current debts? What will happen to new loans, and will they face the same fate? Who will provide answers to these pressing issues?"

Thackeray noted that before any other assistance is given, farmers require soil to rejuvenate eroded land, but the government remains unresponsive. He lamented, "Farmers, who nourish the world, are in a critical situation today. The government announced compensation in the thousands of crores, but how much has actually reached the farmers? With ongoing rains in Maharashtra for six months, farmers' distress has intensified. They are devastated, and the right time for a loan waiver has never been more crucial. Yet, the government's procrastination in promising a waiver is a cruel jest to the farmers," he stated.

Highlighting the continuous reports of farmer suicides from regions like Marathwada, Vidarbha, and North Maharashtra, he added, "Are these rising suicide rates not reaching the government's attention? By delaying debt relief, this government is pushing farmers to their limits. Will they take accountability for any farmer suicides by June? The government is merely toying with the farmers. In essence, the farmers' current situation will persist, as the government has indicated that the loan waiver will only be provided before June next year."

Thackeray's letter follows Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' announcement a day prior, stating that a decision regarding the farm loan waiver would be made before June 2026, after a meeting with former minister Bachchu Kadu, who led protests supported by various farmers' organizations in Nagpur.

On Thursday, the government formed a nine-member committee, led by retired bureaucrat and CEO of the Maharashtra Institution for Transformation, Pravin Pardeshi, to propose both short- and long-term strategies to ensure farmers become permanently debt-free.