Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday launched its ‘shivar samwad sabha’ (farm communication rally) campaign with over 4,000 rallies in a single day. The campaign will continue till May 28. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had, last month, announced the ‘sabha’ to counter the Opposition’s ‘sangharsh yatra’, which demands farm loan waiver.
The Chief Minister held a rally in Latur, while BJP’s state unit chief Raosaheb Danve conducted the programme in Nandurbar. Ministers Chandrakant Patil, Sudhir Munguntiwar, Vinod Tawde, and Pankaja Munde, were present in Kolhapur, Chandrapur, Ratnagiri and Beed.
The campaign is also part of the three-year completion of the Modi government, under which initiatives undertaken for farmers will be publicised. BJP’s national vice-president and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahastrabuddhe, who was in Mumbai on Thursday, said “We are completing three years on Friday and we are reaching out to people to spell out what we have done in all these years.”
BJP leaders will also do ‘shramdan’ in farms along with farmers and spend some time advocating the government’s good work for them.
Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil ridiculed the government’s ‘samwad rallies,’ saying it is the proof that the government has lost touch with the citizens. “It also shows that the ‘sangharsh yatra’ is a success in terms of people’s support. Scared of it, the BJP had to hit the streets.”
Apart from the BJP and the Congress-NCP, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, All Indian Kisan Sabha, and the Prahar Sanghatana of independent MLA Bachhu Kadu have undertaken protest rallies demanding farm loan waiver. The Shiv Sena recently launched ‘Me Karjmukt Honarch’ (I will be debt free) campaign.
