Maharashtra Oppn alleges ‘betrayal of our annadata’, walks out of Assembly over soybean dues and farmer suicides

Responding to the charges, Cooperation and Marketing Minister Jaykumar Rawal said soyabean procurement had taken place at a record scale across 562 centres this year. Over 51,000 farmers sold their produce and Rs 5,500 crore was directly transferred to their bank accounts, he said.

However, controversy erupted over an incident in Akola district’s Balapur taluka. Rawal said a farmer collective, Andura Agro Company, failed to deliver 1,297 quintals of soyabean to the designated warehouse despite registering it under procurement records.

A criminal case has been registered against the company head and Rs 36 lakh withheld pending investigation.

“Efforts are underway to ensure that affected farmers are not denied their dues,” the minister added. The original question was raised by MLA Daulat Daroda during the Question Hour and followed by supplementary questions from MLAs Hemant Ogle, Randhir Savarkar, Nana Patole, Rohit Pawar, Kailas Patil, and Jayant Patil.

Dissatisfied with Rawal’s response, Opposition members staged a walkout, accusing the government of inaction and lack of accountability.

The Opposition also flagged the issue of rising farmer suicides in the state. Citing official figures, Wadettiwar said 767 farmers suicides were reported between January and March. Of these, 200 were declared ineligible for assistance, while 194 cases remain under review.

Question of priorities

Wadettiwar also questioned the state’s spending priorities, pointing to Rs 20,000 crore sanctioned for the Shaktipeeth highway project while loan waivers remain unfulfilled. “The government is hiding behind committees instead of taking decisions. There is money for highways, but not for farmers,” he said. A suspension motion on the issue was rejected by the Speaker, triggering the Opposition’s walkout for the second time in a row.

Reacting to the walkout, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar accused the Opposition of politicising farmers’ concerns. He said the government was open to discussion on all agrarian issues. “We have always stood by farmers. The government believes in action, not disruption. We are ready for any structured debate,” he added.

Speaker Rahul Narwekar also said the House was sensitive towards the issue of farmers and that time would be allowed on Thursday for the discussion on the issues related to farmers.

Earlier in the day, MVA legislators protested at the Maharashtra legislature complex accusing the BJP-led government of favouring a private firm, Megha Engineering, in a major tunnel project in Thane, and alleged that it involved a Rs 3,000-crore scam.

Opposition seeks Rs 10 lakh compensation for lightning deaths

During the Question Hour, Vijay Wadettiwar also demanded that compensation for lightning-related deaths be increased from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. “When victims of tiger attacks receive Rs 25 lakh, why are lightning deaths capped at Rs 4 lakh?” he asked.

Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan said lightning-related fatalities had now been included in the state’s disaster response framework, and assured that the proposal to increase compensation would be discussed with the chief minister.

In 2022 and 2023, 236 and 181 deaths due to lightning were reported from Maharashtra.

Wadettiwar said the current compensation failed to reflect the scale of human loss suffered by farmer families during extreme weather events.

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