Mumbai: Opposition parties in Maharashtra launched a collective campaign on Wednesday, uniting around the emotive demand for a farm loan waiver.
Led by the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Sangharsh Yatra (struggle march) started in Chandrapur, in the Vidarbha region, and will cover 16 districts over seven days.
Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president and MP Ashok Chavan, leader of the opposition in the legislative assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar led the march. All opposition members of the assembly took part.
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Even as it took to the streets in the crisis-ridden region of Vidarbha, the opposition kept up its aggression inside the legislature.
Opposition members of the legislative council raised the demand for a farm loan waiver.
Leader of the opposition in the council Dhananjay Munde reminded chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was present in the house, of the march he had led to press for a farm loan waiver when he was in the opposition.
“When legislators from all political parties in the state are united on this demand for farm loan waiver, the chief minister is busy referring the matter to the Centre which has refused to grant debt-waiver to any state other than Uttar Pradesh. Farmers in Maharashtra are looking up to the state government and not the centre,” Munde said.
Later, all opposition members of the council staged a sit-in protest on the premises of the legislature and raised slogans in favour of debt-waiver.
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The opposition chose Chandrapur as the starting point for the march since it is the eastern tip of Maharashtra and also happens to be the home town of the state finance minister who the opposition has accused of skirting the issue in his budget, presented on 18 March.
Maharashtra finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said the opposition should name the campaign for ‘karj maafi’ (loan waiver) ‘maafi yatra’ (apology march) for the 15 years of directionless governance the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party provided the state, pushing farmers into a crisis.
“Instead of asking for karj maafi, Congress-NCP should request the farmers to forgive them for their mistakes,” he said.
