A farmer from Washim draped a placard around his neck to declare his intention to sell his organs in order to pay back loans, in a show of defiance against the Devendra Fadnavis-led NDA government in Maharashtra for breaking its pledge to waive farmers' loans. With a flag around his neck, Satish Idole, a farmer from Adoli village, came to the busy market in Washim. "Buy the organs of farmers" was the sign's message, and also included rates for various body parts: kidneys were Rs 75,000, livers Rs 90,000, and eyes Rs 25,000. His unusual and urgent complaint soon attracted the attention of others, who stopped to read the banner, forming a gathering, reported India Today.
Speaking with the reporters, he said, “Devendra Fadnavis had declared that the government will forgive farmer loans prior to the elections. But now they want the farmers to repay the debts on their own. How are we going to accomplish this? I'm selling my organs because we have nothing to sell. Knowing that Rs 60,000 won't cover my loan, I've listed my wife's kidney for sale for Rs 40,000, my son's kidney for Rs 20,000, and my youngest son's kidney for Rs 10,000.”
Through the district collector's office, Idole has also written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, reminding him of the government's pledge to waive farm loans prior to the election. He wrote that, other than suicide, he saw no other way out of his situation and that he had no way to pay back his loan. Idole is a small-scale farmer who owns just two acres of land. Maharashtra Bank has given him a loan of about Rs 1 lakh. His protest follows previous statements made by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who made it clear that farmers must be held accountable for repaying their debts and that the government will not waive farm loans.
"The government had committed to clearing the 7/12 records. However, they are now requesting that we pay back the loans. Crops don't get a fair price; a quintal of soybeans was sold for Rs 3,000. The government has, in a sense, misled the farmers. Agricultural products are still not fairly priced," Idole stated.
In the Washim region, this dramatic demonstration caused a stir and grew calls for the government to act right away.