Would fulfill my promise to farmers: CM Uddhav Thackeray

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Tuesday that he would fulfill his promise of providing aid to farmers, and the opposition should not try to make it appear as if it was being done under its pressure.

He was speaking to the media outside the legislature here after both the Legislative Assembly was adjourned for the day following ruckus over the issue.

"The word given to the farmers of the state is (a matter) between them and me, and I am going to fulfill the promise," Thackeray said. "The opposition should not try to show that they made us do that. If you want to ask questions (in the House), there is a way to ask questions. You cannot ask questions by shouting and not listening," the chief minister added.

The Assembly witnessed an unprecedented scene when BJP MLA Abhimanyu Pawar and the Shiv Sena's Sanjay Gaikwad held each other by the collar.

The BJP MLA carried a banner on which was emblazoned an old report from the 'Saamana', the Sena mouthpiece, about Thackeray demanding Rs 25,000 per hectare for the farmers hit by untimely rains. The Sena chief had made the demand before he became CM.

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Gaikwad tried to snatch the banner from Pawar's hand and the two briefly held each other by the collar before others pulled them apart. The Council also witnessed noisy scenes as BJP members demanded compensation for farmers, leading to adjournment for the day.

Meanwhile, Congress leader and former chief minister Ashok Chavan said the BJP was creating ruckus to take credit for a farm loan waiver scheme to be announced soon by the state government.

"The BJP, while in power, did not provide relief to farmers whose crops were destroyed by pink bollworms (a type of pest). They made announcements, but never offered compensation," he said.

Chavan said the government was doing "homework" on areas affected by the "wet drought" (the damage caused by unseasonal rains) and would soon give relief to farmers.

"BJP is creating uproar in the legislature to take credit of the loan waiver to be announced soon," Chavan claimed.

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