Bhopal: Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has decided to proceed on a fast-untodeath from Saturday for ending the ongoing violence in the state. Chouhan would begin the fast at 11 am at BHEL Dusshera Maidan. Addressing a press conference at his residence here on Friday, Chouhan said he would hold talks with farmers at the fast venue. He said ‘some persons’ were behind the violence in the name of farmers’ agitation.
“They have handed over stones to kids. But those kids are mine,” he said. The farmers’ agitation, which began on June 1, has acquired violent overtones in many parts of the state. The protests have turned vicious after the death of six farmers in police firing at Mandsaur. Violence is continuing in many districts of Malwa and Madhya Bharat regions for past many days. The protests and the violence during it have done irreparable damage to the image of Chouhan as a farmers’ leader. The national leadership of the BJP is very displeased with the spiralling violence, especially since it is spreading to neighbouring states.
Chouhan government has announced a series of measures to end the protests, including purchase of onions, Urad, Moong and Arhar on MSP and making fifty per cent of the payment for farm produce in cash. But that has had no impact on the protests. Chouhan has been forced to take this step to prevent further damage to his image. The failure to control violence is being seen as an administrative failure of the government.
The CM seems to be trying to cover it up by taking this political step. He said ‘anarchists’ who had infiltrated the ranks of the farmers would be dealt with a heavy hand. He said his government had taken unprecedented steps for the welfare of farmers. “No government to date has done as much as this government has done,” he claimed. CM’s third fast : Shivraj Singh Chouhan has undertaken fasts twice in the past but both were only of 24- hour duration and both were aimed at building pressure on the UPA government to concede to demands of farmers. Once he had announced indefinite fast against the UPA but had given up the idea at the insistence of then governor Rameswar Thakur.
