Jarange Backs Rohit Pawar’s Hunger Strike Over Farm Loan Waiver

Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil visited Pawar at the protest site in Pandharpur and expressed his support for the agitation. Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan is expected to meet Pawar and appeal to him to withdraw his fast.

The protest comes at a time of increasing political pressure on the Mahayuti government over agricultural distress, especially in areas affected by crop losses and mounting farm debts.

Meanwhile, BJP MLC Dr. Parinay Fuke criticized Pawar’s agitation, claiming that it was an attempt to “copy Manoj Jarange Patil’s style” and amounted to “nautanki” rather than a genuine movement for farmers.

On June 2, the Maharashtra Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis approved the Rs 36,585 crore farm loan waiver scheme, which is expected to benefit 55.72 lakh growers. Titled Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karja-mukti Yojana, the scheme provides loan waiver of up to Rs two lakh and consists of three components: loan waiver, one-time settlement (OTS) and incentive benefits. The government has stated that there will be no land ownership criteria for eligibility.

Under the waiver component, farmers with outstanding short-term crop loans of up to Rs two lakh, including principal and interest, will be able to benefit from complete debt write-off. To be eligible, the loans must have been used between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2025, must be overdue as of September 30, 2025, and must not be paid until March 31, 2026.

Farmers whose dues exceed Rs two lakh will be covered under the OTS component. They will have to repay the amount exceeding Rs 2 lakh to be eligible for waiver up to Rs 2 lakh. Such debtors were given until March 31, 2027 to clear their share of the outstanding debts.

Pawar argued that these eligibility conditions could prevent more than 37 lakh farmers from availing benefits under the scheme.

The NCP (SP) MP went on an indefinite hunger strike on June 12, demanding the removal of these conditions and wider relief measures for farmers facing financial difficulties. The agitation received support from several farmers’ organisations, including Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha and Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising NCP (SP), Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), also supported the demand and urged the state government to withdraw all eligibility conditions attached to the loan waiver scheme. “A protest is being held in the holy town of Pandharpur for the welfare of farmers in this state and country. Farmers must get justice. The farmer community is united because if the farmer survives, we all will survive,” Jarange Patil said.

The activist added that the agitation received an overwhelming response despite efforts to portray it as politically motivated. “No matter how sincerely you do the agitation, people will still call it politics,” he said.

Doctors monitoring Pawar’s health said that his blood sugar and blood pressure levels dropped on the third day of the fast. Blood sugar was recorded as 83 mg/dL and blood pressure was 95/70 mmHg on Sunday morning, increasing concerns about the health situation as the protest continues.

Responding to the agitation, BJP leader Dr. Parinay Fuke said Pawar should have launched a “media-tyag agitation” instead of organizing protests on behalf of farmers.

Claiming that the movement was primarily aimed at attracting publicity rather than solving the problems of farmers, Fuke said, “Rohit Pawar’s hunger strike is neither for the welfare of farmers nor is it aimed at finding solutions to the real problems faced by them.”