Mumbai: In a shocking development, 10 farmers from Goregaon village of Hingoli district in Marathwada region - who are facing mounting debts - have written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, offering to "sell off" their body organs to clear the outstanding loans taken by them from local banks or private lenders.
The Congress has slammed the Shinde-led BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government over the issue after farmers expressed readiness to sell off eyes, kidneys, liver and other organs.
Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole said that it is unfortunate that the condition of the farmers in the state has become extremely miserable.
“Farmers in Hingoli district have shown readiness to sell their organs after being faced with a dilemma of how to repay their loans. It is the misfortune of Maharashtra which is the land of great men like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's that farmers are left with no choice but to sell their organs to pay off their debts, but the BJP government in the state is not even ashamed of it, said Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole.
“In some parts of the state there is a wet drought and in some parts there is a dry drought, there is no price for agricultural produce, there is no price for vegetables and fruits including soybeans, cotton, pulses, onions, There is a mountain of debt on the farmers who are struggling to get even crop insurance and Chief Minister (Shinde) and both the Deputy Chief Ministers (Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar) are making empty promises of helping the farmers,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar of the Congress said: “This is an extremely serious matter. The state government should immediately declare drought in Maharashtra and extend much-needed aid to the suffering farmers”.
Published 23 November 2023, 18:24 IST