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Sangharsh Yatra: Third phase from April 25, Oppn to cover 700km in 2 days
During the first two phases — March 29 and April 15 — Opposition parties held public meetings and interacted with families of the farmers who committed suicide...
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Intensifying their demand for waiving off loans of the distressed farmers, the Opposition parties would be embarking on the third leg of Sangharsh Yatra from April 25. The three-day protest march will cover three districts of western Maharashtra — Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur.
“We’ll be covering 700km and the third phase of the Yatra will conclude at Sangli on April 27. All the districts in Konkan region would be covered during the fourth phase Yatra,” said a source.
The Opposition parties so far have completed two phases of the Yatra — March 29 and April 15 — covering Vidarbha, Marathwada, and several districts in northern and western Maharashtra. During the first two phases, party leaders held public meetings and interacted with families of the farmers who committed suicide.
Six Opposition parties — Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), Republican Party (Kawade) and United Janata Dal — joined hands to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Maharashtra government over farm loan waiver. They have been mounting pressure on chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to grant Rs30,500 crore loan waiver for farmers in Maharashtra.
However, political pundits believe that the Opposition parties have taken up the issue to recover lost ground across rural Maharshtra.
The state, feeling the heat from the Opposition, recently announced a slew of schemes under its Unnat Sheti, Samruddha Sheti (Upgraded farming, prosperous farming) initiative. Moreover, Fadnavis is personally interacting with the with farmers to hear out their grievances.
Also read: Sangharsh Yatra: Waive loan before farmers lose patience, say Maharashtra opposition leaders
