26 April,2017 08:10 AM IST | | Dharmendra Jore
In yet another game of one-upmanship, the Shiv Sena chose to take the credit for making the BJP offer relief to state farmers in terms of extending the purchase of pulses, on Tuesday
Uddhav Thackeray
Uddhav Thackeray
In yet another game of one-upmanship, the Shiv Sena chose to take the credit for making the BJP offer relief to state farmers in terms of extending the purchase of pulses, on Tuesday.
Party chief Uddhav Thackeray said it was the aggression of his ministers that forced Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to take the decision that will save many farmers from financial duress. "There was no need of escalating the problem. Why does the government need to wait for a protest from farmers whenever an issue or two crops up?" he asked, adding that the Sena would be upfront whenever farmers needed its support.
As per the decision taken by the Cabinet, the government will spend Rs 1,000 crore on buying pulses (especially tur) from farmers who registered their names with it on or before April 22. The market has stopped buying tur, but farmers still have a massive stock available to sell the government at a minimum support price. A year after prices of processed tur (tur daal) rose beyond Rs 200 per kilogram, Maharashtra has produced an unprecedented quantity of tur this season.
Thackeray also reiterated a demand for loan waiver for farmers. "My party wants farmers to be debt free. But I must thank the CM for accepting our demand today. I wish the CM also dispenses help to distant suicide affected districts without waiting for more farmers to end their lives," he said.
