Ruling partner Shiv Sena has slammed Maharashtra's BJP-led government's decision to levy an additional surcharge on a host of items to raise money to tackle the drought situation in the state, dubbing it as 'pick pocketing'.

Instead of resorting to this sort of a measure, the state should have sought a financial package from the Centre, similar to the one announced for Bihar, to help crisis-hit farmers, Sena's mouthpiece 'Saamana' said in an editorial today.