Overview
- On Thursday, September 17, Thackeray led protests in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar saying Marathwada faces a development, irrigation and infrastructure backlog of about ₹60,000 crore and accusing the BJP-led state government of deliberate neglect.
- The Maharashtra government has said crop-loss surveys will begin after October 5 and that it will provide interim financial assistance from state funds while awaiting aid from the National Disaster Response Fund.
- Thackeray called on Shiv Sena (UBT) workers to monitor the forthcoming panchnama crop-loss assessments, announced plans to tour districts from October 5 to inspect surveys in person, and urged caste- and community‑wide mobilisation of farmers.
- Senior party leaders have alleged slow fund releases for irrigation projects — claiming ₹13,000 crore was announced in 2023 but only about ₹800–900 crore released — and Thackeray has alleged a separate ₹5,000 crore fraud in a welfare scheme; these numeric claims remain unverified in reporting.
- Marathwada has a long history of agrarian vulnerability so delays in survey timing and aid rollout directly affect farmers’ access to compensation and relief, and the dispute is sharpening regional political mobilisation ahead of upcoming votes.