Why did you not waive off farmer loans when in power? Shiv Sena asks BJP

Hailing the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government for declaring loan waiver of up to Rs two lakh for farmers, the Shiv Sena on Monday hit out at the BJP for seeking to write off debts fully and asked why it did not address the issue when it was in power.

In a veiled attack on the BJP-led central government, the Shiv Sena, in its party mouthpiece 'Saamana', noted that the Thackeray government took the decision of farm loan waiver at a time when the country is "burning" over the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Without naming the BJP, it said one can provoke people by playing politics of sentiments, but he/she needs courage to take a decision in the interest of farmers.

The Maharashtra government on Saturday announced a loan waiver of up to Rs two lakh for farmers, with a cut off date of September 30, 2019.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray made the announcement in the Legislative Assembly on the last day of the state legislature's winter session in Nagpur.

The BJP staged a walkout seeking full loan waiver.

"The chief minister announced the decision at a time when the country is burning over the issue of the citizenship law. One can provoke people playing politics of sentiments, but needs spunk to take a decision in the interest of farmers," the Shiv Sena said in sarcastic remarks.

This is the first step of the new government towards writing off farmers' debts completely, the Marathi daily said.

It said the demand for full farm loan waiver was made by Sena president Thackeray himself during the tenure of the previous Devendra Fadnavis-led government.

The Fadnavis government could have also given full loan waiver, but it did not do so then and is now seeking writing off debts completely when the BJP is in opposition, the Shiv Sena observed.

"You are not appreciating the government's decision to write off farmers' loans of upto Rs two lakh, but questioning whether full loan waiver has been extended. You were in power in Maharashtra for five years. Why did not you give it then? You should tell this first," it said.

It is a question whether the Centre will fulfil the expectation of giving financial aid to Maharashtra, the economy of which is in a "precarious state", the Sena said, and asked Fadnavis to pursue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue.

Referring to the BJP's rally in Nagpur on Sunday in support of the amended citizenship law and Union minister Nitin Gadkari's remark, asking if it was a crime to be a Hindu in this country, the Shiv Sena said majority of farmers in Maharashtra are also Hindus and facing the problem of making ends meet.

"But, we (Shiv Sena) think about it (farmers' woes). The issues of loan waiver for farmers and providing meal at Rs 10 are crucial for the poor. But the BJP missed those issues," the Marathi publication alleged.

"The BJP doesn't have to sulk if farmers feel joyous (after announcement of loan waiver). Be a part of farmers' joy," it said.

Shiv Sena takes a dig at BJP, says its members may become 'friends' of govt

The Shiv Sena on Friday took a dig at the opposition BJP saying that it should remain alert as many of its members may become friends of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.

The party also criticised Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis, of being "unncessarily" aggressive in the House.

The winter session of the state legislature is currently on in Nagpur and the BJP, with Fadnavis being its most vocal leader in the House, is trying to corner the Thackeray-led government over different issues.

"Intentions of the government and the mind of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray are clean and genuine. Hence, he will continue to get new friends. The opposition party should remain alert as many of its members might become friends of the government," the Sena said in an editoral in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

It said the opposition party plays an important role.

"But just because those who were in the opposition benches earlier are now on the treasury benches, there should not be enmity between the two sides. If it is happening, then it is not good," the saffron party said.

"On the floor of the Assembly, the BJP is showing its discomfort and inconvenience that despite having the strength of 105 MLAs, it failed to form the government. But it is best to simply ignore BJP's attitude arising out of its discomfort," it said.

People of the state are unanimous in their opinion that whatever Fadnavis isspeaking is unwarranted. The Sena- led government is in a majority and the chief minister has proved it on the floor of the Assembly, it added.

"Fadnavis says that the state government is not keeping its promises and doing nothing for farmers. But had the Modi government kept its promise of transferring Rs 15 lakh into every citizen's bank account, then farmers would have been happy as it would have cleared their debts. The BJP government has been duping the people. It should first fulfil the promises it had given," the Sena said.

"Had the BJP followed 'Satyamev jayate' and 'Pran jaye par vachan na jaye', it would not have been sitting in the opposition and cribbing," the Sena said, referring to its criticism that the BJP did not keep its promise of sharing the CM post for half term with the Sena.

The BJP and the Sena, which fought the October 21 Assembly polls in an alliance, secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively.

The Sena, however, broke its three-decade-long ties with the BJP after the latter declined to share the chief minister's post. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form the government.

Where would Hindu immigrants be settled? Uddhav asks BJP on citizenship law

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday hit out at the Centre over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and asked how and where the government intended to settle Hindu immigrants in the country.

He also accused the BJP-led central government of being biased towards Karnataka on the border dispute with Maharashtra over Belgaum.

He was replying to a debate in the Maharashtra Assembly here on Governor B S Koshyari's address.

The governor addressed a joint sitting of the state legislature at the Vidhan Bhawan in Mumbai on December 1.

Targeting the government over the new citizenship law, Thackeray said, "I would like to know how and where the Hindus from other countries are going to be settled. I don't think you (Centre) have a plan for it."

Thackeray's party Shiv Sena had earlier supported the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, but staged a walkout during voting on it in the Rajya Sabha, saying there was no clarity on questions raised over it by the party.

The chief minister also raised the issue of border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka over Belgaum.

Maharashtra claims Belgaum, part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency but currently a district of Karnataka, on linguistic grounds.

"The central government has taken Karnataka's side and ignored Maharashtra in the legal battle before the Supreme Court...it was going on for last five years and everyone was kept in the dark," Thackeray alleged.

He also asked the BJP to make its stand clear on Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar's opinion on cows.

Savarkar apparently was of the opinion that cow is a useful animal, but it can be slaughtered and eaten after it is no longer useful.

Hitting out further at the Centre, Thackeray said several investment proposals for Maharashtra never materialised because of demonetisation and random implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

"Programmes like 'Magnetic Maharashtra' were held to attract huge investments but could not bear fruit after decisions like demonetisation and haphazard implementation of GST," he said.

There were several investment-related programmes, which were only promised, but could not materialise due to such "erratic decisions" of the Centre, he added.

Thackeray to be 8th Maharashtra CM to take oath while not being MLA/MLC

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will on Thursday evening join the league of seven leaders who got the chief minister's post in Maharashtra when they were still not member of either the state Legislative Assembly or Council.

Congress leaders A R Antulay, Vasantdada Patil, Shivajirao Nilangekar-Patil, Shankarrao Chavan, Sushilkumar Shinde and Prithviraj Chavan are among the leaders who were not members of any of the state legislature Houses when they occupied the top post.

The then Congress leader and current NCP chief Sharad Pawar also finds name among these leaders.

Thackeray, 59, to be sworn in as chief minister at the Shivaji Park here on Thursday evening, will become the eighth such leader.

According to provisions of the Constitution, any leader who is not a member of the Assembly or Council has to become member of the legislature within six months of taking oath of the post.

Antulay became the first such leader in the state when he was sworn in as the chief minister in June 1980.

Vasantdada Patil occupied the coveted post in February 1983 after resigning as a parliamentarian.

Nilangekar-Patil became chief minister in June 1985 while Shankarrao Chavan, who was then a Union minister, got the top post in the state in March 1986.

Pawar, who was defence minister in the Narasimha Rao- led government, was named Maharashtra chief minister in March 1993 after Sudhakarrao Naik was removed from the post following riots in Mumbai.

Besides, Prithviraj Chavan, a minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, became the state's chief minister in November 2010, replacing Ashok Chavan.

Antulay, Nilangekar-Patil and Shinde contested the Assembly bypolls after they became chief ministers and emerged victorious.

The other four leaders fulfilled the constitutional provision by becoming member of the Legislative Council.

Uddhav Thackeray, wife Rashmi meet Governor Koshyari at Raj Bhavan

Maharashtra CM-designate and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan here on Wednesday.

Thackeray, to be sworn-in as CM on Thursday, was accompanied by wife Rashmi, an official said.

The Shiv Sena chief will be the first from the Thackeray family to be sworn in as the chief minister.

The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress on Tuesday named Thackeray as their chief ministerial face.

The three parties have claimed support of 166 MLAs in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.

Devendra Fadnavis resigned as CM on Tuesday, barely 80 hours after taking oath for the second time, the move necessitated by his deputy Ajit Pawar's resignation citing "personal reasons".

Fadnavis was sworn in on November 23 in an early morning hush hush ceremony, with the support of Ajit Pawar, who then headed the 54-member NCP legislature party.

The NCP removed Ajit Pawar as its legislature party leader the same day after he took oath as the deputy chief minister of the state.

The stage is now set for Uddhav Thackeray to be sworn in as the new chief minister on Thursday.

His father late Bal Thackeray wielded the 'remote control' over the first Sena-BJP combine government during 1995-99 but never assumed a position in the government.

Don't expect solid outcome: Uddhav on ED notice to MNS chief Raj Thackeray

A day ahead of Raj Thackeray's scheduled appearance before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here in connection with an IL&FS probe, the MNS chief seems to have found an unexpected support from his estranged cousin and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday.

Sena is the ruling partner of the BJP in the Central and Maharashtra governments.

Raj has been summoned by the anti-money laundering agency in connection with its probe into the alleged irregularities relating to loans and equity investment worth over Rs 450 crore by IL&FS in Kohinoor CTNL Infrastructure Company.

The firm was founded by former Maharashtra chief minister Manohar Joshi's son Unmesh, Raj Thackeray, and latter's close aide and builder Rajan Shirodkar to purchase and develop the land of the defunct Kohinoor Mill.

Raj had reportedly exited from the company in 2008.

Questionning of Unmesh has been going on at the Mumbai office of the ED since August 19.

"I do not expect any solid outcome from the inquiry," Uddhav told reporters in a brief reply when asked about the ED's notice to Raj.

Uddhav's comments assume significance given that assembly elections in the state are round the corner.

Earlier, Sena leader Sanjay Raut had said Raj getting the notice should not be viewed through the prism of politics.

Opposition parties in Maharashtra, including the Congress and the NCP, have rallied behind Raj, terming the ED move a vendetta politics by the ruling BJP.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the BJP didn't have any role in the ED notice.

Raj had held several rallies ahead of the Lok Sabha elections targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led government in Maharashtra. He, however, had spared Sena from any direct criticism.

The MNS had inflicted severe damage on the Sena in 2009 elections to the state assembly and Lok Sabha.