Nagpur: Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Maharashtra unit President Raosaheb Danve for his abusing remarks against farmers, the activists of Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti (VRAS) on Friday burned his effigy and raised slogans against him. BJP Government should resign owning responsibility for Danve’s nasty remarks, demanded the angry VRAS. The protest was held at the headquarters of VRAS in Giripeth at 11 am on Friday in the presence of police.
“This government has accepted to purchase one more lakh tonne tur. Saalein don’t stop crying even after that,” Danve said at a programme in Jalna. The politician was inaugurating Water Sanitation Minister Babanrao Lonikar’s public relation office.
Addressing a meeting on the occasion, the Convener of VRAS Ram Nevle said that when the price of tur was Rs 12,000 per quintal, the tur dal was being sold at Rs 200 kg in the market. At that time, the Government had encouraged the farmers to increase production of tur. The farmers, hoping to get good price, increased the tur production. Tur production in Maharashtra went up from 4.44 lakh tonne in 2015-16 to 20.35 lakh tonne in 2016-17. But the Central Government banned the export of tur dal and imported a large quantity of tur dal even before arrival of the product in the market. With this act, the Government betrayed the farmers. The prices have gone down in sucha proportion that the farmers were forced to sell tur in open market at Rs 4000 per quintal which is much below the minimum support price. Farmers were not able to even meet the production expenditure with the price. Above all, Danve says ‘Saalein farmers don’t stop crying even after that.’ This is nothing but insult of farmers. The BJP government will have to pay the price for Danve’s abusive language. If Narendra Modi and Amit Shaha have any respect for farmers, then they should kick him out,” Nevle roared.
Economist Shrinivas Khandewale asked whether the Danve’s utterances is the policy of BJP Government? BJP Government must resign. Insult of farmers will not be tolerated in future.
A large number of VRAS activists participated in the agitation.
