After Maharashtra govt's assurance on farm loan waiver, Kadu withdraws hunger strike

Amravati, Jun 14 (PTI) Prahar Janshakti Party founder Bachchu Kadu on Saturday ended his hunger strike here after Maharashtra minister Uday Samant assured him that his demands of farm loan waiver and hike in honorarium for persons with disabilities will be addressed by the government.

Kadu, a former state minister, was on a hunger strike in Gurukunj Mozari in Teosa Taluka here for the last seven days demanding complete loan waiver for farmers in Maharashtra and Rs 6,000 per month assistance for 'divyang-jan' (persons with disability).

Samant met Kadu and read out a letter from revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule which gave details of the formation of a high-level committee within 15 days to work on the farm loan waiver demand.

Samant also said a meeting will be held immediately to decide on disbursal of new crop loans and postponement of recovery of previous loans.

A provision to increase the honorarium of disabled persons will be made in the supplementary budget on June 30, Samant added.

Six state ministers have already met Kadu and more meetings will be held with him in the days to come to address all the demands, Samant added.

"On behalf of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, I requested Kadu to withdraw his fast. The government is ready to discuss his demands. Moreover, we cannot let his health as well as that of his supporters deteriorate," Samant said.

Addressing a gathering at the protest site, Kadu claimed Fadnavis and Pawar were not speaking about farm loan waiver earlier but were doing so after his agitation.

The government must announce a date for farm loan waiver by October 2 or he would once again start an agitation, Kadu said, adding he was only postponing his stir and not ending it.

On Friday, Bawankule had met Kadu and facilitated a phone conservation between him and CM Fadnavis.

Speaking elsewhere, Bawankule, who also heads the state BJP, welcomed Kadu's decision, and said Fadnavis had given Kadu an assurance to consider all his demands.

The BJP minister who is also the guardian minister of Amravati district where Kadu was on fast, said, "I welcome Kadu's decision as he responded positively to the government's appeal....I also come from a farmer's family, and understand the challenges the farming community is facing.

"I was in constant touch with Kadu and the local administration. I had requested him to withdraw his agitation as farmers need to start preparations for sowing in the kharif season," Bawankule added.

The government will increase the financial assistance for persons with disabilities in the coming monsoon session, he said.

"There are only four castes in the state -- farmers, women, the poor and the youth. Social welfare is our priority," he said.

Earlier in the morning, Kadu's supporters created a ruckus at an event in Pune where deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was addressing the gathering.

Notably, before Kadu withdrew his hunger strike, another Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Atul Save stated that his party had not promised farm loan waiver in its manifesto for the 2024 Assembly elections.

"There is no mention of farm loan waiver in the BJP manifesto," he told reporters in Hingoli when asked about Kadu's agitation. PTI CLS COR ND BNM KRK