It’s a season of protests for Congress in Maharashtra. Fifteen years after enjoying power in the state, the successive defeats in Lok Sabha and state assembly have forced the party to hit the road once again.
The Congress on Saturday announced its campaign against the anti-farmer policies of the BJP-led government in the state. The party will concentrate on Maharashtra’s Marathwada and Vidarbha regions, where it suffered major losses in the elections.
Once considered as one of the strongest states for the party, Maharashtra in 2014 sent only two Congress MPs out of 48 in Lok Sabha. The state assembly election too witnessed the party’s downfall, with the Congress winning only 42 seats in comparison to 82 in 2009.
“Natural calamities have destroyed crops in the state and farmers are committing suicides. Despite assurance of financial aid from the state government, not a single rupee has reached to farmers,” said Manikrao Thakre, President, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).
Mr. Thakre alleged that the central government too has yet not fulfilled its promise of providing Rs. 4000 crore financial aid to farmers. “As per our information, around 21 farmers committed suicides within last two weeks,” he said.
The party also seems to be concentrating on consolidating its eroding urban base by organising a protest rally against the corruption in the Shiv Sena-BJP ruled Mumbai Municipality on January 8. In yet another rally on January 5 in Mumbai, the MPCC will raise the issue of declining reservation to Nomadic Tribes in Maharashtra.
The party has also released a phone number, asking disgruntled farmers, citizens and workers to give missed call on 04071012200, to register their discontent over government’s functioning.
“Our work is to force government to do right thing. We are in the opposition now and we will continue raising legitimate issues,” said Mr. Thakre.
