New Delhi: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Monday criticized the Maha Vikas Aghadi government over the bandh imposed in Maharashtra.
The BJP claimed that the three-party government’s concern for farmers was pure hypocrisy and the bandh was imposed using official machinery, news agency PTI reported.
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Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said that if CM Uddhav Thackeray-led government is so concerned about farmers, it should first give relief to those affected by unseasonal rains in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of the state.
Three ruling allies Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP have called for a state-wide bandh to protest the recent killing of four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh.
Fadnavis said that the Uttar Pradesh government is capable of taking action against the culprits in the Lakhmipur Kheri case. But, farmers in Maharashtra are in deep trouble, he said.
The former chief minister of the state claimed that around 2,000 farmers have committed suicide in the state and they have neither got loan waiver nor any assistance from the state government.
“The shutdown called by the Maha Vikas Aghadi is pure hypocrisy. If the government is really concerned about the farmers, it should announce immediate relief for the farmers of Marathwada and Vidarbha,” the former Maharashtra CM was quoted as saying by PTI.
He further claimed that people are being forced to observe the bandh by using police and administration.
Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil alleged that the NCP had called for the bandh to divert attention from the income tax raids in the state.
The IT department had last week raided entities close to Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar.
Patil claimed that the bandh has failed and has received little response from the people.
Talking to reporters, BJP MLA from Mumbai Ashish Shelar claimed, “Bandh in Maharashtra was opposed by farmers, students, traders and people, but the government misused the government machinery and imposed it on the people.”
Taking a jibe at the MVA government, Shelar said that the word ‘bandh’ is very dear to the ruling government.
He said that people will teach a lesson to the MVA government and complete it with full state honours.
“The bandh was opposed by the people, but the government officials were creating fear in the minds of the people for a long time. The shutdown was imposed under police protection, so it is a government shutdown,” alleged Shelar.
In Solapur, where NCP President Sharad Pawar had called for a bandh, the market courtyard had started since morning. The BJP leader said that the farmers brought their produce to the yard and sold it.
Shelar claimed that in Dadar area of Mumbai, where Shiv Sena Bhavan is located, agricultural produce hit the market and all transactions were done till 10 am.
He said that due to the arrival and auction of agricultural produce in many agricultural mandis (markets) of the state including Aurangabad, the farmers of Maharashtra did not participate in the hypocritical bandh in the true sense.
Shelar said that in Satara, BJP MP Udayanraje Bhosale himself came out on the road and got on his bike.
Shelar said people, farmers have responded (to the protest) with their actions.
BJP Trade Front president Pradeep Peshkar hit out at the three ruling parties, saying the statewide bandh call by MVA partners is like sprinkling salt on the wounds of traders, who are still recovering from losses suffered during the coronavirus-induced lockdown. .
(with agency input)
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