On the first day of the Winter Session of Maharashtra legislature, the Opposition on Thursday protested at the Vidhan Bhavan here demanding farm loan waiver, bonus on paddy crop and higher minimum support prices (MSP) for cotton and soybean.
Senior leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP and Congress, raised slogans against the government holding garlands made of orange and cotton. They demanded immediate relief to farmers in terms of loan waiver, “Rs 1,000 bonus on paddy crop, Rs 14,000 and Rs 18,000 MSP” for cotton and soybean, respectively.
The Winter Session of the Maharashtra legislature is scheduled to be held here from December 7 to December 20.
Speaking to journalists, assembly Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar said farmers were affected due to unseasonal rains, while lakhs of growers are not getting proper MSP for cotton and soybean. “The government is doing only ‘panchnamas’ (survey) and making announcements. We want funds in farmers’ accounts and no announcements,” said Wadettiwar.
Other MVA leaders, including leader of opposition in legislative council Ambadas Danve, state Congress chief Nana Patole, NCP leaders Jayant Patil and Anil Deshmukh, and Congress’ Ashok Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat, also took part in the demonstration. Danve said farmers have been severely impacted due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms and demanded a loan waiver for them. Meanwhile, Kasba Peth MLA and Congress leader Ravindra Dhangekar, who was dressed like a doctor, demanded action against “ministers” having links with drug racketeer Lalit Patil. He also sought the arrest of Sanjiv Thakur, former dean of Pune’s Sassoon Hospital. Patil had escaped from the hospital on October 2 when he was being taken for X-ray imaging, leading to the suspension of nine police personnel. A probe indicated that Patil, arrested in a drug case last year, was running his drug racket from the hospital.