NAVI MUMBAI: Raj Thackeray's party
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Monday staged a demonstration against sugar which is imported from Pakistan. The
MNS activists also burned Pakistani flags and pictures of former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif at the Vashi based APMC wholesale market in this regard.
Talking to TOI, Navi Mumbai head of MNS Gajanan Kale said: "The Pakistani sugar is around Rs 2 cheaper than the domestic produce. Hence, some of the traders are importing sugar from Pakistan, which is rather unfair for the sugarcane farmers in Maharashtra and other states. So we have today communicated to the APMC sugar traders and also their head, Ashok Jain, to stop buying sugar from Pakistan.''
Gajanan Kale said, the Pakistani sugar is around Rs 2 cheaper than the domestic produce.
Kale further said that they also burned Pakistani flags and photos of Nawaz Sharif, as they want to send out a clear message that this (imported sugar from Pakistan) will not be tolerated by them.
Earlier, the MNS party had also opposed Pakistani singers and artistes who perform in India, especially in Bollywood films.
When TOI contacted the APMC deputy secretary (market 1), D G Mokade, he confirmed the MNS protest demonstration. "Some of the private sugar traders buy imported sugar from Pakistan and sell the same through APMC. However, we officials cannot really stop any trader from buying and selling Pakistani sugar, or for that matter imported sugar from any other country.''
Mokade further added that it is only after about five months that imported Pakistani sugar has arrived at the APMC now.
Some of the traders informed that the wholesale rate of domestic sugar is around Rs 44 per kg, while that of Pakistani sugar is a little less in comparison.
The MNS leader, Kale, also reasoned: "A few years ago, the price of tomatoes in Pakistan was very high, at around Rs 40 per kg, while in India, the same quality tomatoes costed much lesser around Rs 10 per kg; but still the Pakistani government had not imported Indian tomatoes at the time. So, why should be allow Pakistani sugar here now?''
The MNS activists also burned Pakistani flags and pictures of the former Pak prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.