: Hours after its activists staged “dhol bajao” (drum beating) agitation in front of district co-operative banks across Maharashtra demanding immediate implementation of farm loan waiver, the ruling Shiv Sena on Monday warned the BJP-led saffron alliance Government that it would intensify its agitation if the various district banks did not provide the party with lists of beneficiary-farmers.
Hundreds of Shiv Sainiks, led by district party presidents, MPs and MlAs, beat drums in front of all district co-operative banks across the State between 11 am and 12 noon, pressing for immediate waiver of farm loans and display of notices listing the names of the beneficiary-farmers.
The “dhol bajao” agitation, aimed at mounting pressuring the Devendra Fadnavis government to expedite the process of waiver of farm loans announced by it on June 24, was staged at Nashik, Hingoli, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Buldhana, Ahmednagar, Beed, Thane, Dhule, Nandurbar, Satara, Manmad, Kannad, Nagpur, Sangli, Mulshi, Pune, Aurangabad, Solapur, Washim, Jalgaon and Bhandara.
The agitating Sainiks raised slogans demanding immediate farm loan waiver. They also demanded that if the state government had not yet sanctioned the banks the money to waive the pending loans of the farmers, the banks concerned should put notices expressing their inability to waive loans in the absence of the reimbursement of money from the State Government.
The local Sena leaders submitted memoranda to the managers of the respective district central co-operative banks.
Talking to media persons after the agitation, senior Sena leader and State Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam said that the Sena was giving eight days’ time to put up lists giving the names of farmers whose loans have been waived and such farmers whom the State Government had helped in availing the one-time settlement of their loans.