By News18
Ambadas Danve, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Mahayuti government over the plight of the state’s farmers.
Raising the issue through a resolution in the Council, Danve said that 2,866 farmers have died by suicide since the Mahayuti alliance came to power three years ago. Most of these tragic deaths were reported from the drought-prone regions of Amravati and Marathwada.
Danve listed multiple unresolved crises plaguing farmers — from pending crop insurance payouts and fake seeds to contaminated urea, lack of Minimum Support Price (MSP), and mounting farm loans. He accused the government of failing to keep its election promises, especially the promise of full loan waivers.
“While big corporates got loan waivers worth Rs 9.26 lakh crore from the Centre, Maharashtra’s farmers still carry a debt burden of Rs 8.32 lakh crore. The same banks that write off loans for industrialists refuse to help farmers without checking their CIBIL score first,” Danve told the House.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader didn’t hold back in ridiculing the state’s priorities either. “There’s money for bullet trains, but none for the people who feed this nation,” he said.
He pointed out that the government’s own 100-day performance report gave the agriculture department just 35% and the education department only 11% — a sign, he said, of the neglect these crucial sectors face.
Danve also accused Agriculture Minister Dhananjay Munde of making controversial remarks about farmers while failing to ensure their welfare. He contrasted the current government’s attitude with former CM Uddhav Thackeray’s decision to waive Rs 2 lakh in farm loans during his tenure.
One of the most glaring issues, Danve said, is the delayed crop insurance payments. Farmers have been waiting for more than a year and a half for insurance worth Rs 483 crore for their kharif and rabi crops. The state still owes over Rs 1,015 crore to insurance companies, which have, in turn, withheld payments to farmers. “Are crop insurance companies meant to protect farmers or push them to ruin,” he asked. Danve questioned why the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) hasn’t reached those who need it most. He criticised the move to reduce multiple claim ‘triggers’ to just one, which he said made it harder for farmers to get payouts.
Highlighting individual tragedies, Danve recalled the shocking suicides of Parbhani farmer Sachin Jadhav, his wife, and child, and of award-winning young farmer Kailas Nagare. “Imagine a farmer having to plough his own land without bullocks — this is the reality in Maharashtra today,” he said, his voice resonating with emotion.
Adding to the list of grievances, Danve revealed that over 3.31 lakh applications for solar agri pumps remain pending, despite farmers depositing their share. He accused the government of sitting on Rs 944 crore that rightfully belongs to them. He also flagged the dismal state of market committees — with 305 committees running at a loss — and demanded immediate implementation of the recommendations of the Umakant Dangat Committee to strengthen the system.
Danve’s attack wasn’t limited to the state government. He held the Centre responsible for onion price crashes, saying its unstable export policies had allowed countries like China and Pakistan to capture India’s market share globally, hurting Maharashtra’s farmers even more. “In the name of Rs 1 crop insurance, they are filling the pockets of private insurers and middlemen, not helping farmers. If this is not betrayal, what is,” Danve asked, rounding off a powerful speech that left the ruling benches scrambling for answers.