Maharashtra: 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 support for the agitation. Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan is expected to meet Pawar and urge him to withdraw his fast.

The protest comes amid mounting political pressure on the Mahayuti government over agrarian distress, particularly in regions affected by crop losses and rising farm debt.

Meanwhile, BJP MLC Dr. Parinay Fuke criticised Pawar’s agitation, alleging 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, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, approved a Rs 36,585-crore farm loan waiver scheme expected to benefit 55.72 lakh cultivators. The scheme, titled Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karja-mukti Yojana, provides a loan waiver of up to Rs two lakh and comprises three components — loan waiver, one-time settlement (OTS), and incentive benefits. The government has stated that there will be no landholding criterion 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 eligible for complete debt relief. To qualify, the loans must have been disbursed between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2025, remained overdue as of September 30, 2025, and remained unpaid 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 become eligible for a waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh. Such borrowers have been given time until March 31, 2027, to clear their share of the outstanding dues.

Pawar has argued that these eligibility conditions could exclude more than 37 lakh farmers from receiving benefits under the scheme.

The NCP (SP) legislator launched his indefinite hunger strike on June 12, demanding the removal of these conditions and broader relief measures for farmers facing financial distress. The agitation has received support from several farmers' organisations, including the Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha and the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana.

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

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

Doctors monitoring Pawar’s health said his blood sugar and blood pressure levels had fallen on the third day of the fast. His blood sugar level was recorded at 83 mg/dL on Sunday morning, while his blood pressure stood at 95/70 mmHg, raising concerns about his health as the protest continued.

Responding to the agitation, BJP leader Dr. Parinay Fuke said Pawar should launch a “media-tyag agitation” instead of staging protests in the name of farmers.

“Rohit Pawar’s hunger strike is neither for the welfare of farmers nor aimed at addressing any genuine issues faced by them,” Fuke said, alleging that the movement was intended primarily to attract publicity rather than solve farmers’ problems.