Mumbai: On April 15, the Opposition will begin the second leg of Sangharsh Yatra in Vidarbha and North Maharashtra with a demand of farm loan waiver. In the first leg, the yatra started on March 29 in Chandrapur, covering 16 districts, including parts of Vidarbha, Marathwada, western Maharashtra and Konkan, and concluded on April 4 in Panvel.
On Thursday, a joint meeting of leaders from the Congress, NCP, and the Samajwadi Party, was held to discuss the strategy. Presidents of six districts, Buldhana, Jalgaon, Dhue, Nandurbar, Nasik and Palghar, through which the yatra will pass, were present to inform about the preparations. “The yatra is being planned to ensure that the farmers get loan waiver. We will continue the agitation come what may,” said Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ashok Chavan.
Replying to the Chief Minister’s statement of studying the loan waiver model in Uttar Pradesh, Leader of Opposition Radhkrishna Vikhe-Patil termed it an attempt to ‘pass time’. “The Congress in its tenure announced the loan waiver. Therefore, if this government is unaware of how to go forward, it can ask us and take our help.”
The yatra was planned two weeks ago after 10 Congress and nine NCP MLAs were suspended for creating ruckus while Finance Minister Sudhir Munguntiwar was presenting the budget. The MLAs were demanding farm loan waiver. The Opposition had then announced that they will not participate in the Assembly proceedings until the suspension is revoked. The government revoked the suspension of 10 out of the 19 MLAs, but the Opposition has said that it will stay away from the proceedings. On Thursday morning, Opposition legislators held a sit-in outside the Assembly, demanding loan waiver.
