Shiv Sena (UBT)'s mouthpiece Saamana has launched a scathing attack on the Maharashtra government, sharply criticizing its apathy towards the plight of farmers in the state. The editorial, published today, draws attention to a viral video of an elderly farmer couple from Latur district — a heartbreaking depiction of agrarian distress that has sparked widespread outrage on social media.
In the video, 75-year-old Ambadas Pawar from Hadolti village in Latur can be seen ploughing his field by tying himself to a makeshift yoke, while his wife pulls the plough from behind. The couple resorted to this extreme measure due to their inability to afford bullocks or mechanized equipment. The image, which has come to symbolize the struggles of small-scale farmers, has stirred an emotional response across Maharashtra.
Reacting to the incident, Saamana condemned the state's leadership in its editorial:
“In Latur, Ambadas Pawar, an elderly farmer, had to tie himself to a plough — this picture is not from a backward nation, but from Maharashtra. It is a disgrace for Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar, who claim to lead a progressive and developed state.”
The editorial accuses Finance Minister Ajit Pawar of spending ₹20,000 per vote to win elections for the Baramati-based Malegaon sugar factory, while a farmer like Ambadas Pawar cannot afford to buy a single bull. It describes the image as one that “would be expected in a slave nation, but is now a reality in an independent India.”
The editorial goes on to paint Ambadas Pawar's condition as symbolic of the dire circumstances faced by thousands of small-scale farmers across Maharashtra — those who own merely two to five acres of land, often barren or rain-fed, and who struggle to survive amid skyrocketing prices and recurring natural calamities.
Pawar’s son works in Pune doing odd jobs, and the family’s meager income barely covers household and educational expenses. In the absence of affordable agricultural inputs, the elderly couple has taken it upon themselves to carry out fieldwork manually.
“We call the farmer Baliraja — the king of the land — but today, that king is being forced to pull a plough with his own hands,” the editorial laments.
Saamana also took direct aim at the ruling coalition – often referred to as the "triple-engine government" of BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) – for reneging on pre-election promises to waive farmers' loans.
“Before the elections, the three-party alliance promised to waive farm loans. After coming to power, all three sides have gone silent. In just the first three months of this year, 767 farmers in Maharashtra committed suicide. How many more must die before the government declares it the ‘right time’ to fulfill its promise?”
The editorial questioned the government’s priorities, pointing to the massive spending on projects such as the Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Highway, which, it claimed, was undertaken without any public demand, and at the cost of farmers' land and livelihoods.
“This government has thousands of crores for roads and contractors, but no funds to support dying farmers. Even in times of hailstorms and drought, it is chasing contractors and commissions. The government is stone-hearted — unmoved by the sight of a farmer reduced to a beast of burden,” Saamana concluded.