The party threatens to disrupt the monsoon session of state legislature if the government fails to waive agriculture loans.
Congress party is planning to hold a state wide agitation from district collectorate offices on July 9 and 10 to press for its demand for waiving off crop loans taken by farmers. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Ashok Chavan had made an announcement in this regard on July 3. Large number of workers and farmers is expected to participate in this movement. The party has assigned responsibilities of this movement to district presidents. Leader of opposition Radha-krishna Vikhe Patil will lead the campaign in Ahmed-nager, while former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will hold the proceedings in Pune. The Sindhudurg movement will be held under the leadership of former Chief Minister Narayan Rane while former Maha-rashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Manikrao Thakre will lead the campaign in Akola.
The issues which will be raised will include farm loan waiver and rising farmer suicides in the state. Besides this they also want to bring the attention of the government towards issues like falling crop prices, Muslim reservation and increasing social inequality. The Congress party has demanded complete debt relief for farmers and financial assistance to them. They have also held several demonstrations to highlight this issue. Since the Fadnavis government has failed to resolve this issue the Congress has planned a more aggressive agitation this time.
Congress had held protest in support of farm loan waiver scheme at Akola Bazar in Yavatmal district on June 27.
Ashok Chavan, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee Chief said, “If the government fails to provide loan waiver to farmers then we will disrupt the monsoon session of the state assembly which will begin on July 13. There have been 1059 cases of farmer suicide this year. The government has been overlooking the interests of the farmers and it will have to pay a heavy price for it.”
On the other hand, Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan sought a CBI probe into allegations against Pankaja Munde regarding procurement by her department and said his party is mulling to take legal recourse against Education Minister Vinod Tawde over his alleged bogus degree.
“A free and impartial probe is required into the case of procurement worth Rs 206 crore by state Women and Child Development Department as well as the bogus degree case, Chavan said.
“It was the previous government which decided that procurement of more than Rs 50 lakh would be done through e-tendering. When I took over, I lowered the amount limit to Rs 10 lakh, while the BJP government reduced the amount further to Rs three lakh,” the senior Congress leader said.
“(Chief Minister) Devendra Fadnavis should clarify what was in his mind when he decided that procurement of more than Rs three lakh would be done by e-tendering and what he has to say on the rules being flouted,” he said.
“The state government’s apathy on important issues is evident from the fact that farmers are in trouble. Drought conditions are still prevailing. There is tremendous unease in the farming sector, there is need for resowing and no help is coming from the government. Sugar cane prices have come down steeply. Sugar co-operatives have not paid FRP (fair and remunerative price) to farmers,” Chavan rued.
The state government wants to wind up the co-operative movement in the state, he alleged.
