Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said his party would not shy away from "exposing" the BJP-led Maharashtra government if it fails to execute the loan waiver scheme properly.
Thackeray, whose party is also a part of the ruling coalition in the state, claimed his outfit was the first to demand debt waiver and rued that Maharashtra continues to top in farmer suicides.
"Hence, the farmers should be debt-free was my demand," he said.
"We will not shy away from exposing the state government if it fails to execute the loan waiver scheme properly," Thackeray said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had on 24 June announced the loan waiver of Rs 34,022 crore after a statewide agitation by farmers earlier last month.
On 9 July, Fadnavis said the entire debt of around 36 lakh farmers will be written off under the scheme.
Fadnavis earlier said that there are 1.34 crore farmers in Maharashtra, of whom 90 lakh have availed the crop loan. Out of them, 89 lakh farmers are eligible for the loan waiver scheme announced by the state government.
The remaining farmers, whose outstanding loan amount is slightly more than Rs 1.50 lakh, can also avail the benefit by paying the difference above Rs 1.50 lakh cap, he had said.
While announcing the loan waiver for marginal farmers in the state, the government had also promised Rs 10,000 initial loan assistance at the start of the kharif season.
"It is more than a month and some 2,500 farmers have only opted for it. If such a situation is not chaos, then what is? And if you talk about loan waiver, no bank has so far received clear instructions about loan waiver," he said.
(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL atbol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)