Shiv Sena slams Fadnavis govt over Maharashtra farmers’ strike

Mumbai city news: The Shiv Sena taunted the government, saying it will have to take responsibility if even a single farmer commits suicide

The Shiv Sena, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Maharashtra government, has joined the farmers’ organisations and opposition parties in bitterly criticising the government for going back on its pre-election promises to farmers.

The chief minister has been successful in creating doubts and suspicions about the farmers’ agitation, reads an editorial in the SHiv Sena’s mouthpiece. (HT File Photo)

In an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamana, the Shiv Sena said, “The chief minister has been successful in creating doubts and suspicions about the farmers’ agitation. But attempting to break the protests is not a victory. It is a failure.”

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last week attempted to quell the agitation by promising a loan waiver for small and marginal farmers in phases. The decision will be firmed up by October 31, he said, prompting a few farmers groups to call the agitation off.

The Sena taunted the government, saying it will have to take responsibility if even a single farmer commits suicide until then owing to financial burden.

The Shiv Sena and farmers leader Raju Shetti, another BJP ally, extending their support to farmers on strike could become a headache for the Fadnavis government that succeeded in engineering a split among the farmers who are staging agitations.

Meanwhile, officials from the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee at Vashi said the supply of onions, potatoes and other vegetables to Mumbai is likely to be adequate though prices have risen by 10-15 per cent. “We are getting a supply of 60 trucks of potatoes from Pune and Ahmednagar districts. Although there hasn’t been any supply from Nashik, there will be strong supply coming from outside the state. In terms of vegetables too, about 400 trucks are coming in, so Mumbai is likely to be unaffected.”