Why are Maharashtra farmers angry? Will their protest make a difference?

The farmers’ agitation spearheaded by Prahar Janshakti Party (PJP) leader and former minister Bacchu Kadu in Maharashtra reached a decisive stage on Thursday (October 30), as Kadu is all set to meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai at 7 pm to press for a full loan waiver and 22 other key demands raised by the farming community.

Optimistic of a positive outcome, the Prahar Janshakti Party leader also said that a decision on the future course of their agitation will also be taken after the meeting.

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The tractor march of farmers began on Monday from Chandurbazar in Amravati district and halted at Wardha before arriving in Nagpur on Tuesday evening. The ‘Maha-Elgar Morcha’ led by Kadu is being backed by the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), Kisan Sabha, and farmer leader Raju Shetti, to amplify demands for a complete farm loan waiver, immediate compensation for unseasonal rain damage, Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, and a Rs 6,000 monthly allowance for the disabled.

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the protesters, who had blocked Nagpur-Hyderabad National Highway 44 near Nagpur city, to leave the site. Later, state ministers Pankaj Bhoyar and Ashish Jaiswal also held discussions with the protesters on behalf of the government.

Agrarian distress fuels unrest

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur on Wednesday, Kadu said, “We are demanding a complete loan waiver for the state’s farmers, along with assured procurement of their crops at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Right now, farmers are being forced to sell their soybean at rates far below the government-declared support price.”

“Our farmers are burdened with debt. I want to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi what happened to his promise of doubling farmers’ income. If the state government lacks the resources, the central government must step in to help,” said Kadu, an independent MLA from Achalpur, which is a part of Amravati Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra.

His remarks echo a wider frustration among farm activists who accuse the government of failing to honour its electoral promises. Speaking to The Federal, former Maharashtra Shetkari Sangathan chief and noted farm activist Vijay Jawandhiya said, “The farming community is raising legitimate demands and has gathered in large numbers. What’s striking is that none of these issues are new, in fact, the ruling BJP had promised to address many of them in its manifesto ahead of last year’s Maharashtra Assembly elections. I simply fail to understand why the BJP cannot deliver on its own promises.”

He pointed out that farmers across the state are under immense distress, with their crops suffering due to erratic weather and the produce failing to fetch fair prices. While the government fixed the MSP for soybean at Rs 5,328 per quintal, farmers are getting only Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000, nearly 30 per cent below the declared rate. The outlook for the cotton crop is equally grim, as unseasonal rains have caused extensive damage, affecting both yield and quality. Jawandhiya added that though the state government has announced a relief package, its implementation on the ground remains far from sincere.

Unseasonal rains devastate farmers

Notably, farmers, especially those in central Maharashtra, have suffered massive losses due to the unprecedented rains in September and October. According to preliminary assessments, the unseasonal rains have impacted nearly 29 districts, devastating over 68 lakh hectares of crops.

Suresh Chavan, a farmer from Garsuli village in Renapur tehsil of Latur district, said he lost the entire heap of harvested soybean on his five-acre farm. “The government announced aid, but we never received it. Our Diwali passed in darkness, and now our fields have been washed away,” he said in a video that went viral.

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After the floods in September destroyed their kharif crops, farmers had restored their fields and sown rabi crops, only to see a fresh spell of rain washing them away. Many farmers had paid labourers Rs 5,500 to Rs 6,000 per acre for soybean harvest, sources said.

Tensions also flared in Parbhani, where farmers, demanding loan waivers and compensation, reportedly pelted stones at the District Collector’s car, leading to one arrest.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Fadnavis appealed Kadu to discuss farmers' issues with the government instead of holding agitations that inconvenience the public and could be exploited by “vested interests”.

On the loan waiver demand, he said, “The state government has already formed a committee to look into the issue. Our priority at present is to help farmers who have suffered losses due to heavy rains. We have never said we are against farm loan waiver.”

Opposition slams relief claims

The BJP-led Mahayuti government is already under fire from the Opposition parties which have accused it of duping the farming community. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Vijay Wadettiwar pointed out that although the Devendra Fadnavis-led government has announced a relief package of over Rs 31,000 crore for farmers, the actual assistance extended so far amounts to only Rs 1,800 crore.

This, he said, translates to a mere Rs 10,000 per hectare, an amount he termed grossly inadequate. The former minister accused the government of betraying farmers by offering such a “meagre” financial aid after making lofty promises of a massive relief package.

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“The government announced a Rs 31,000-crore package claiming it would provide substantial help to rain-affected farmers. However, so far, government resolutions worth barely Rs 1,800 crore have been issued. The aid of Rs 10,000 per hectare is paltry and amounts to deceiving farmers,” Wadettiwar said.

With Kadu’s meeting expected to set the tone for the next phase of protests, the government faces a test of credibility, both in delivering relief and retaining the trust of Maharashtra’s agrarian heartland.

Highway cleared of protesters

In another development, the police on Thursday informed the Bombay High Court that the Nagpur-Hyderabad National Highway and other roads in the city, where Kadu and his supporters were agitating for a farm loan waiver, have been cleared of the protesters.

The court then directed all authorities to take steps in advance to ensure there is no further disturbance to the road or rail transport. The HC's Nagpur bench gave the directive after the police informed that former Maharashtra minister Kadu and his supporters were planning a 'rail roko' agitation, if their talks with the state government failed.

A vacation bench of Rajnish Vyas on Wednesday took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the protest, noting that it continued despite no permission, and directed Kadu and his supporters to immediately vacate the highway and all other public roads.

Nagpur City Police Commissioner Ravinder Singal informed the HC on Thursday that normal traffic on the national highway and other blocked roads was restored peacefully.