MAHARASHTRA

Puntambe farmers refuse to meet CM, to go on with strike

devendra-fadnavis-pti [File] Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis | PTI

The farmers from Puntambe, a village in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, have turned down state government's request to meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss their demands.  They have further made it clear that they will go ahead with their plan to go on strike from June 1. 

The farmers want the state government to announce a loan waiver for all farmers in the state. They have also demanded that farm produce get assured price. 

Fadnavis' office had earlier instructed local Tehsildar to convince the farmers so that they would agree to hold a meeting with the chief minister and discuss their demands. The farmers, however, announced on Monday that they would not go to Mumbai and that they would launch their strike as planned on June 1. 

In a separate development, the 'Atmaklesh Padyatra' launched by Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana founder and MP Raju Shetty reached Mumbai on Monday. Shetty had announced his Padyatra from Pune to Raj Bhavan in Mumbai to pressurise the government to announce farm loan waiver. 

Shetty's son Sourabh, who was walking in the Padyatra with his father, fainted due to exhaustion as the foot march reached Mumbai. He was administered treatment in a dispensary in the five gardens area in central Mumbai. 

The Padyatra will reach Raj Bhavan on Tuesday and Shetty will meet Maharashtra Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao to submit his demands. 

Shetty's outfit is an ally of the ruling BJP and his party colleague Sadabhau Khot is a minister in Maharashtra government. Khot, however, has chosen to stay away from the Padyatra. 

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Topics : #Maharashtra

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