Chatrapati Shivaji provided interest free loans to farmers: Raju Shetty

Hyderabad: Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatan (Maharashtra) founder Raju Shetty on Sunday said that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a common man's favourite king who was the first to provide interest free loans to the farmers, as they were the backbone of the country.

The Shree Chhatrapati Shivaji Maratha Navyuvak Mandal and Shree Chhatrapati Shivaji Maratha Cultural Trust took out a grand procession from the Old Bridge at Darulshifa, which turned into a meeting held near the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Bridge.

Raju Shetty said that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj said that no farmer should be harassed, or no one should neither forcibly recover the loans nor should be confiscated.Shetty expressed his surprise and happiness and said that it is quite exciting to organize Shivaji Jayanti on such a large scale in Telangana while being outside Maharashtra.

He thanked Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and expressed happiness for giving two acres of land and Rs 2 crore to the Maratha society for the construction of Atma Gaurav Bhawan. He said that Chhatrapati respected women, so the society will have to take inspiration from him, for a better society to be built.

He said that Chief Minister KCR had not only recognized the Maratha community in the state but also given respect to Chhatrapati on behalf of Telangana, for which he expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister. He recalled that both KCR and he (Shetty) had worked together in the Lok Sabha.