Uddhav urges PM to waive off farmers' loans

Mumbai, Aug 26 (UNI) Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to waive off the loans given to farmers in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Thackray said there was a need to provide financial succour to the farmers as mere 'words' would not help mitigate their sufferings.

Mr Singh will visit the metropolis on August 31 and is likely to hold talks with Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on the farmers issue.

According to Mr Thackray more than 3,000 farmers have committed suicides in Vidarbha region in recent years.

Accusing the Congress-led UPA dispensation at the Centre for neglecting the farmers' plight in the state, Mr Thackray said inadequate relief packages to the peasant community was the prime factor to push them to take the extreme step.

The Sena Executive President demanded that the electricity bill of farmers should be waived off to help them financially.

Taking a dig at both the Union and the State governments, Mr Thackeray said they should tackle the problems of the farmers in Maharashtra with the same zeal and enthusiasm as they want to pursue the implementation of the Srikrishna Commission report which, according to him, is nothing but a move to appease the minorities in the country.

UNI