Now, ruling ally Shiv Sena to 'disrupt' Maharashtra legislature

In its most aggressive tactic to date, the ruling ally Shiv Sena has decided to disrupt the ongoing budget session of Maharashtra legislature till a complete waiver of farm loans is announced, a minister said here on Monday.

The senior ruling partner, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not reacted on its ally's threat so far, as the government prepares to table the state budget for 2017-2018 later this week.

Senior leader and Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam told mediapersons that Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray on Monday "specifically instructed" all party legislators not to allow the legislature to function until all farm loans were written off.

"All the farmers in Maharashtra must be freed of their debts under any circumstances. This has been our demand in the past and even today," Kadam said.

Thackeray has now directed all party legislators to create hurdles in the functioning of the legislature till the government bows to its demands after it reopens on Wednesday after the Holi festival break.

During the last month's civic polls in the state, the Shiv Sena had made vociferous demands for a full-farm loan waiver, on the lines promised by the BJP in the campaigning in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab elections.

With the latest threat, the Shiv Sena hopes to isolate the BJP in the legislature as even other parties like Congress and Nationalist Congress Party have raised a similar demand in the past.

Interestingly, the developments came barely five days after the Shiv Sena got its Mayor elected in BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation after the BJP dropped out of the mayoral race.

--IANS

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