BJP’s Mungantiwar raises absence of farm loan waiver in budget

“We spent Rs 1,42,718 crore on the salaries of our employees in 2023-24. In 2024-25, it was increased by Rs 16,316 crore, and Rs 13,565 crore for pensions. That is, in one year, we give government employees an increase of Rs 29,881 crore in salaries and pensions. On the other hand, we do not give farm loan waivers because there is no money in the treasury. This is not right,” said Mungantiwar.

He was participating in the discussion on state budget for 2025-26 presented by Finance Minister Ajit Pawar.

In its first budget, the new Mahayuti government had refrained from announcing new schemes or meeting pre-poll promises including farm loan waiver.

The BJP leader also raised the issue of protest by farmers against the Shaktipeeth Expressway project.

“It has been said that Rs 86,300 crore will be spent on building a Shaktipeeth Expressway. Shaktipeeth must be built, but first give money for village roads in Maharashtra,” he added.

Mungantiwar, who had held the Finance portfolio, also pointed out the need to have “balanced development” claiming that while some districts are growing, others are lagging behind.

The BJP MLA also expressed regret over the issues he had raised through a letter with officials not being even mentioned in the budget.

“We sent teak wood from my constituency to the Ram Temple. We made every door in the Parliament House, we are making the Prime Minister’s Office. We took 10 acres of land there and asked for Rs 75 crore for the Furniture Industrial Development Corporation but the officials did not even forwarded it to you (referring to Ajit Pawar),” he said.
“We brought an investment of Rs 15.72 lakh crore from Davos, which will create 16 lakh jobs. But when I inquired with officials, they had no information about the sectors in which jobs are available,” he added.