Shiv Sena MPs, MLAs pledge a month’s salary for farmers

All elected representatives of the Shiv Sena have decided to pledge a month’s gross salary towards the state government’s farm loan waiver funds.

Senior Sena minister Diwakar Raote said all Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), corporators and panchayat samiti members will set aside a month’s salary to be given as relief to farmers in debt.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will also contribute Rs10 lakh, Raote said. “We don’t know what the amount will total to. But, we won’t give this as a contribution to the chief minister’s relief fund. We will consult the chief secretary to find out under what budget head our contribution should be aggregated.”

The Shiv Sena has 21 MPs — 18 in the Lok Sabha and three in the Rajya Sabha — and 63
MLAs. The party backed the recent farmers’ stir and even took to the streets to protest against its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).