Shiv Sena (UBT) Calls Mahayuti’s Diwali Aid to Farmers ‘Intellectual Bankruptcy’, Slams Rs 5,000 Payout

Mumbai, October 16, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)

The Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has criticised the Maharashtra government’s Diwali assistance of Rs 5,000 for farmers and Rs 2,000 for Anganwadi workers, calling the amounts inadequate amid rising inflation, drought and mounting rural distress.

In an editorial published in the party’s mouthpiece Saamana, the opposition party accused the Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of using the label of a “Diwali gift” to publicise what it described as meagre relief for struggling families.

The editorial said more than 300 talukas in Maharashtra had been declared drought-hit, with rural communities facing water shortages, crop losses and mounting debt. It accused the government of relying on meetings and announcements instead of delivering substantial relief to affected farmers.

Questioning the nature of the assistance, the editorial claimed that the Rs 5,000 payment was an advance against funds expected from the Central government rather than a special grant announced by the state. It alleged that the government was presenting the advance as a generous festive benefit to claim credit.

The party also questioned whether Rs 5,000 would be sufficient for farming families to meet basic expenses, purchase clothing and celebrate Diwali amid rising prices. It said the amount failed to reflect the scale of the hardship faced by farmers and rural workers.

“The helping hand is a span wide, but its publicity is a cubit wide,” the editorial remarked, accusing the government of giving disproportionate publicity to limited assistance while drought continued to affect people and livestock.

The editorial further questioned the expected impact of the payment on the state’s farming community, referring to the government’s stated aim of benefiting around 1.25 crore farmers. It argued that the amount would do little to ease the wider crisis confronting rural Maharashtra.

The Thackeray-led party also contrasted the assistance with allocations for government events, citing sums of Rs 50 lakh reportedly provided to districts for programmes such as the Sewa Sankalp Abhiyan. It alleged that drought-hit farmers and grassroots workers were receiving only nominal support compared with such spending.

The criticism adds to the political debate over the adequacy of Maharashtra’s drought-relief measures and the government’s handling of rural distress. The allegations and assessments were made by Shiv Sena (UBT) in its editorial.