Fadnavis says 73 lakh farmers have got Rs 5,000 drought aid; Congress calls it a 'cruel joke'

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that the first instalment of drought relief, Rs 5,000 per farmer, has reached the bank accounts of 73 lakh farmers in Maharashtra. The money had been promised ahead of Diwali. The same day, state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal attacked the payout as far too small.

Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said some beneficiaries have been paid late because of problems with their bank accounts. He expects about 95 per cent of eligible farmers to be covered within two days. "In the next two days, money will reach the accounts of most farmers," he said. The state has declared 85 per cent of Maharashtra drought-hit after poor rainfall this year, and the Rs 5,000 was announced as interim assistance.

The Chief Minister added that ministers will go to farmers' homes and spend Diwali with them. He said this was a collective Cabinet decision and not something he had ordered. "This is not my order," he said, adding that all the ministers had felt the festival should be marked alongside farmers.

On the loan waiver, Fadnavis said Rs 4,764 crore went into the accounts of 4.86 lakh farmers on Wednesday. Marathwada received the biggest share, with about 2.76 lakh beneficiaries. Roughly 21 lakh farmers have gained from the waiver so far, he said, and payments will go on while the beneficiary lists are checked. He described the Mahayuti government, a coalition of the BJP, the NCP led by Sunetra Pawar and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, as standing firmly with farmers through a range of schemes.

Turning to water for Marathwada, he said the region has gone without it for years and that his government has secured seven TMC for it. He said the work is nearly finished and water will soon begin to flow, with Dharashiv and Beed districts set to gain the most.

Fadnavis also went after the opposition. He alleged that, under the banner of protecting the Constitution, the opposition led by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc is trying to bring about "regime change". In his view, that amounts to changing the Constitution. He said the ruling alliance will respond on the streets, and claimed that a larger body of citizens backs the Constitution and democracy than the crowds that turn up at opposition protests. People oppose anarchy, he said, which explains the rallies being held by the alliance.

On the continuing agitation by sugarcane farmers, the Chief Minister said the government is trying to settle matters through talks between farmers and sugar mills. The dispute centres on farmers' demand that mills pay above the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP). The FRP is set by the government and has to be paid in any case. Fadnavis said the protest is hurting only the farmers and urged them to end it peacefully. Minister Hasan Mushrif has been asked to lead the talks, with the government acting as mediator. "We want the agitation to end peacefully," he said.

Sapkal's reaction came the same day. He challenged Fadnavis to celebrate Diwali on Rs 5,000 himself, the sum the government has offered drought-hit farmers as interim help. Targeting the Mahayuti government, he said prices are climbing while the relief reaching farmers is meagre. He described the aid as a "cruel joke" and accused the government of avoiding its duty to pay proper compensation.

The Congress leader demanded Rs 1 lakh per hectare for drought-affected farmers and said the government is ignoring their financial distress. He argued that the interim amount cannot ease their difficulties, particularly as the cost of goods keeps rising. He asked Fadnavis to meet his own Diwali expenses from the amount given to farmers ruined by drought.

Sapkal alleged that the government cares only about "a handful of industrialists" and has no concern for the interests of farmers and common people. He questioned whether the relief could be called adequate at all, and said the government is unable to address the worries of farmers and ordinary citizens. He also repeated that it is unwilling to pay the Rs 1 lakh per hectare being sought.

Sapkal spoke to reporters after a joint meeting of the Congress's Lok Sabha, Assembly and district in-charges and district presidents from the Konkan region. The meeting was called to discuss organisational matters and the party's political strategy there.