Shiv Sena says its representatives will donate one month's salary for farm loan waiver

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Thursday announced that party representatives at various levels would donate one month’s salary towards the farm loan waiver. [caption id=“attachment_3736931” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. News18[/caption] This will apply to its ministers, MLAs, MPs, corporators, members of Zilla Parishads, Panchayat Samitis and Gram Panchayats. Sena has 21 MPs and 63 MLAs in Maharashtra. Party chief Uddhav Thackeray himself would contribute Rs 10 lakh, Sena leader and senior state minister Diwakar Raote said. Sena had supported farmers’ protest for loan waiver and now wants to contribute in giving relief to farmers through these donations, he said. “Uddhav-ji has already spent Rs 4.5 crore, earned from his photography, for farmers through various activities like giving help in drought-affected regions or water conservation work. He will now himself contribute Rs 10 lakh,” said Raote. The BJP-led state government — of which Sena is a part — recently announced a loan waiver for farmers. Earlier in the day, the state government issued a notification appealing its employees to contribute a day’s salary to provide financial assistance to families of farmers in the `suicide-prone’ regions of the state.