We will not tolerate oppression of locals for Barsu project: Maharashtra Congress

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Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Tuesday said that they won't tolerate the oppression of the locals for the Barsu project.

"A survey is being conducted using the police force for the refinery project at Barsu in Ratnagiri district. The Congress party is strongly criticising this police oppression. Who wants to achieve development against the will of the locals and by using the police force? Imposing projects without taking the locals into confidence is a dictatorship and under no circumstances will this oppression by the state government be tolerated," he said.

Nana Patole has given a stern warning that if the locals are harrassed for the Barsu Refinery then the Congress party will not tolerate it.

While taking a dig at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said that the BJP is not for the welfare of the people but is against farmers, youth, women, workers, and people.

"Congress is not opposing development, but if there is a project that will destroy the locals, if the locals are against that project, a way out can be found through dialogue with them.

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If there are any doubts in the minds of the people about the refinery project, why is the BJP government not clearing the doubts? What kind of survey do you take the police force with you? This bully, dictatorship will not be allowed to continue. We all stand with the local people of Konkan. The Shinde-Fadnavis government in the state, who are the agents of Modi-Shah in Delhi, do not pay attention to the interests of the people of Maharashtra. Why did those who are using police force to impose the Barsu Refinery project did not use this force to stop projects like Vedanta Foxconn, and Tata Airbus, when they were being handed over to Gujarat? If such readiness had been shown at that time, lakhs of youths of Maharashtra would have got employment, but the BJP-led Shinde government, which was working at the behest of Delhi, broke the Maha Vikas Aghadi itself at that time," he said.

Patole also said that a decision should be taken for the Barsu refinery by taking the locals into confidence.

Maharashtra Congress legislature leader Balasaheb Thorat asked the state government to stop the police action against protestors and the land survey process for the proposed oil refinery at Barsu-Solgaon in Ratnagiri district. He alleged that the government was misusing the police machinery to threaten and pressurise villagers and activists opposing the project.

Speaking about the refinery project at Barsu, Balasaheb Thorat said, "Hundreds of trees in Mumbai's Aarey were cut in the dark yesterday amid police protection. While these incidents are fresh, the police have started cracking down on the local residents who are opposing the Barsu Refinery which threatens to destroy the environment of the region. While all these things are going on in Maharashtra, the Chief Minister has gone on vacation and the Deputy Chief Minister is not ready to utter a word. Whose interests are involved in Barsu Refinery? It is wrong to harass people in the name of development. If the local people are against the refinery, why is the government not talking to them?" Thorat asked.

He further said that 14 citizens died in the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony due to the government's blunder. "Does the government want to kill the farmers by oppressing them while they are protesting at Barsu? Thorat also said that the Shinde Fadnavis government should stop this bullying immediately," added.