Uddhav Thackeray likely to lead protest march in Marathwada on Oct 11

Mumbai, Sep 26 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray will likely lead a protest march in Maharashtra's Marathwada region on October 11 on the issue of assistance to the farmers hit by unprecedented rains, party MP Sanjay Raut said here on Friday.

Raut, however, did not specify the city or district where the march will be held.

Thackeray has demanded that the BJP-led state government provide Rs 50,000 per hectare and loan waiver to farmers from the PM CARES Fund, he told reporters.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis -- who is in Delhi -- should meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and seek help for the state's farmers, Raut said.

Fadnavis should also seek help from industrialists in Maharashtra as well as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Mumbai Cricket Association for farmers, he added.

"Uddhav Thackeray has made it clear that if the help (announced by the government) does not reach the farmers, he will return (to Marathwada) before Diwali. Thackeray has said he has an obligation to stand by the decision taken by the people and will hit the streets with them," Raut said.

It will be the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s protest march and not that of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance (of which Congress and NCP (SP) are also constituents), he added.

A party camp of the Sena (UBT) was scheduled for October 11, but it would not be possible to hold it due to the present circumstances, he said.

Thackeray, a former chief minister, visited the flood-hit districts of Marathwada on Thursday.

Heavy rains and swollen rivers have caused large-scale damage in Marathwada since September 20, claiming at least nine lives. Crops on more than 30,000 hectares were washed away due to the floods, as per the state government. PTI PR KRK