Maharashtra farmers' protest: Amid the ongoing farmers' protest in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis likely to meet representatives of the farmers at 3 pm in Mantralaya on Thursday.
Meanwhile, on March 15, state ministers Dada Bhuse and Atul Save on Wednesday met and held talks with a delegation of the farmers who are protesting under the leadership of All India Kisan Sabha and the Communist Party of India (CPI). In an attempt to put forward their demands before the government, the farmers have been holding a long foot march from Nashik to Mumbai.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Ports and Mines Minister state minister Dada Bhuse said that all 14 issues were discussed that have been flagged by farmers. "We accepted their positions and agreed to many of their demands. We held detailed discussions with them. We requested the CPI and the protesting farmers to meet CM and Dy CM at the Mantralaya. They agreed to meet the Chief Minister and the deputy CM on Thursday" he added.
40-50% of issues have been resolved: Maharashtra minister
After meeting the farmers' delegation, state minister Atul Save claimed that 40-50% of issues have been resolved. After reaching Mumbai on March 14, the farmers started demonstrations at Azad Maidan in a bid to highlight the issues that they are faced with. Owing to the large-scale protest, security was heightened to control the traffic in two lines and avoid any inconvenience to commuters.
Earlier, on Tuesday, Opposition parties in Maharashtra staged a protest on the stairs of Vidhan Bhawan demanding the resignation of Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar over his remarks on farmers. Sattar on Sunday sparked controversy with his remark on farmer suicides in the state.
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Why farmers are protesting?
It should be mentioned here that thousands of farmers are marching towards Mumbai to draw the government's attention towards their various demands including the fall in prices of onions, soyabean, cotton, arhar and also regarding an immediate relief from damage to crops caused due to unseasonal rains.
A large group of at least 10,000 farmers and tribals are marching towards Mumbai from Maharashtra's Nashik district. A drone footage showed the group moving towards Mumbai from Kasara Ghat surrounded by mountains. Further, the protesters are also demanding the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for state government employees who joined the service after 2005.
(With inputs from ANI)
