Nana Patole slams 'timepass' Fadnavis govt over farm loan waiver

Senior Congress leader Nana Patole slammed the Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government, calling it a 'timepass government' for avoiding accountability on farm loan waivers and accusing it of not wanting to talk about the issue in the state Assembly.

Senior Congress leader Nana Patole on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Mahayuti government over its stand on farm loan waiver and alleged that the Fadnavis-led government didn't want to talk in the state Assembly.

Speaking on the issue of farm loan waiver, Patole questioned the Devendra Fadnavis-led state government's intent and accused it of avoiding accountability on the matter in the state Assembly. "Will the government waive loans? If it does, it will be a false statement. This is a timepass government. We even raised the question in the Assembly today, but the government didn't want to talk," Patole told ANI.

'Murder of Democracy' Allegation

He further intensified his criticism while referring to the reported "Operation Tiger" in Maharashtra, alleging that the Chief Minister is supporting a "democracy that is being murdered" across the state. "How unfortunate it is that the head of state is supporting democracy after it has been murdered. If democracy is being murdered on this land and the Chief Minister is supporting it, then it is Maharashtra's misfortune," he added.

Maharashtra is currently witnessing a buzz over "Operation Tiger" - the speculation that six of the nine UBT MPs were in touch with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and are looking to join the ruling party. In 2022, Shinde, along with several MLAs, broke away from Uddhav Thackeray, splitting the party into two.

Opposition Stages Protest

The Opposition MLAs staged a protest over the issue of loan waiver for farmers on the first day of the Maharashtra Monsoon Assembly session on Monday. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, along with several other leaders, raised slogans in Marathi, "Make the farmers' 7/12 land records clean" against the Fadnavis-led state government.

Government's Loan Waiver Scheme

Meanwhile, on June 2, the Maharashtra cabinet approved the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farmer Debt Relief Scheme, which will provide loan waivers of up to Rs 2 lakh to farmers in Maharashtra. There will be no landholding criterion for eligibility, and loans up to Rs 2 lakh will be eligible for waiver.

On June 19, the state government constituted three committees to monitor its implementation, including a cabinet sub-committee headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, following criticism over the exclusion of a large number of farmers from the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar farm loan waiver scheme. (ANI)

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