Dharashiv farmer sends CM saree-blouse and Rs 2,720 soybean earnings to protest Rs 5,000 drought aid

Premchand Bajrang Mundhe, a farmer from Pawarwadi village in Dharashiv district, has sent the Chief Minister an unusual "gift". The state is facing drought, and the Chief Minister had announced Rs 5,000 for every farmer just before Diwali. Calling the announcement "a mockery of the annadata", Mundhe reacted sharply and sent the Chief Minister Rs 2,720 earned from his one-acre soybean crop.

Mundhe submitted an application at the Dharashiv District Collector's office, saying he had sent the gift to the Chief Minister. The application reads: "Maharashtra is battling drought, there is a shortage of drinking water and fodder for animals, yet on the eve of Diwali the Chief Minister has mocked the state's annadata by announcing Rs 5,000 for every farmer. So, on behalf of the farmer, the Chief Minister has been given a gift of a full set of clothes."

According to the farmer, his field yielded only 40 kg of soybean from one acre. When he sold it at Majuli Traders on October 19, 2026, a deduction of one kg and Rs 10 in hamali charges were added, and the total bill came to Rs 2,800. After Rs 80 was deducted, Rs 2,720 was left. This is the amount he has sent to the Chief Minister. Mundhe said: "From this money, groceries for my own subsistence, and the rest as a gift to the Chief Minister."

The application goes on to say that a announcement was made at election time in the name of an "annadata's government", but the same farmers have been stabbed in the back. Mundhe asked: "Can the nephew of the Ladki Bahin buy clothes with that Rs 5,000? Diwali is around the corner, so when will you invite your sister and nephew for Diwali, and how will we honour them?"

Mundhe has demanded assistance of at least Rs 50,000 per hectare. He prayed: "May Mother Tuljabhavani grant the Chief Minister wisdom on the auspicious occasion of Navratri and Dussehra, and may farmers be given at least Rs 50,000 per hectare."

The application and related papers, including the receipt for the soybean sale and the speed post receipt, have been posted to the Chief Minister's residence, Varsha Bungalow, Malabar Hill, Mumbai. According to the postal receipt, the money was sent on October 21. The application has been registered at the Dharashiv Collector's office, and the farmer's move has set off local discussion.