Opposition Leaders Protest at Vidhan Bhavan Demanding Complete Farm Loan Waiver
On Monday, June 22, 2026, opposition parties staged a protest on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan, the Maharashtra legislature complex, demanding a complete farm loan waiver with minimal technical conditions. The demonstration, held ahead of the monsoon session, was directed at the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government.
The protest was led by Shiv Sena (UBT) legislators Aaditya Thackeray and Ambadas Danve, alongside Congress leader Satej Patil. The legislators raised slogans against the state government on the steps of the legislative building, demanding that the government implement a complete loan waiver.
While the state government has announced a loan waiver scheme, the opposition claimed that several conditions attached to it would exclude many eligible beneficiaries. This demonstration follows a similar protest held earlier this month by NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who also pressed for the removal of stringent conditions and demanded a blanket loan waiver.
On June 2, 2026, the Maharashtra Cabinet approved a ₹36,585 crore farm loan waiver scheme named the 'Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karja-mukti Yojana'. The scheme is expected to benefit nearly 56 lakh cultivators by providing a waiver of up to ₹2 lakh. It features three components: a loan waiver, a one-time settlement (OTS), and incentive benefits, with no landholding criterion for eligibility.
Under the waiver component, farmers are eligible for complete debt relief if their total outstanding short-term crop loans, including principal and interest, are up to ₹2 lakh. However, these loans must have been disbursed between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2025; remained overdue as of September 30, 2025; and remained unpaid until March 31, 2026.
For farmers whose dues exceed ₹2 lakh, the OTS component applies. These borrowers must clear their outstanding amount above ₹2 lakh first, after which they will become eligible for the ₹2 lakh waiver. The government has given these farmers until March 31, 2027, to deposit their share of the outstanding amount.
