Maharashtra: Government to talk with marching farmers today

Mumbai: The State Government will hold the talks with farmers, who are marching from Nashik towards Mumbai to press for several demands, today, assured cabinet minister Dadaji Bhuse.

Asserting that farmers need not to come to Mumbai as everything possible will be done for them, he said that a meeting will be held with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis.

Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar raises the issue in Assembly

Raising the issue in the Assembly, Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar said farmers have continued with their march. “The government tried to pacify them on Sunday but their demands are related to many departments. They should be heard and the government must take their demands positively,” he said.

CPM MLA Vinod Nikole said the meeting was scheduled on Tuesday but the government cancelled it. “When thousands of farmers are marching then the government should be more sensitive towards their demands. There should be an immediate meeting and farmers must get their rights,” said Nikole.

Some of the prominent demands of farmers, who started the march from Sunday, include loan waiver, waiving pending electricity bills, 12-hour daily power supply, vesting lands (pasture, forest, temple, waqf and benami) in cultivators’ names, and a bumped PM housing scheme from ₹1.40 lakh to ₹5 lakh.