Mumbai : The six-party Mahayuti (Grand Alliance) in Maharashtra appears to be on brinks. Within hours after the RPI leader Ramdas Athawale warned the State government over the anti-cow progeny slaughter policy, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) leader Raju Shetti of has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a veiled attack.
“How come people who were dacoits for you till yesterday have suddenly become your Guru?” he asked while addressing a sugarcane growers’ conference in Sangli on Sunday.
“You should not forget that you are in power due to the farmers. If you want to rule us with the help of dacoits, we shall show you the way,” Shetti added.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a cane growers conference in Pune in presence of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and NCP chief Sharad Pawar. But, SSS representatives were not invited for the conference. Hence, SSS held its own conference at Sangli on Sunday. All the leaders who addressed the conference criticised the government heavily.
Shetti criticised Pawar for his policies. “Pawar is solely responsible for the ill plight of cane growers. Big corporate wanted to join the sugar trade. But, Pawar prevented them. If those corporate had come to the field, farmers would have got superior rates. We have struggled for 15 years over our demand for FRP (fair and remunerative price). Now, the sugar factory owners want it to be slashed. We won’t let it happen,” he said.
Shetti also criticised Fadnavis. “When he was leader of opposition, he always said that he has over a truckload of evidences of NCP leaders’ scams in various institutions. He should now tell people what he is doing with those evidences now.”
He also declared an agitation for the demand of FRP. “If the demands are not met, ministers’ vehicles won’t be allowed to move on raods,” he said.
