Focus on real issues, hardships of farmers: Fadnavis writes to Maharashtra CM

Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis lashed out at the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government and asked to address real issues and hardships faced by people and farmers in the state. He also termed the arrest of Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Republic Media Network, as a political vendetta.

In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray a day after the arrest Arnab Goswami, Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said there was a serious agrarian crisis due to crop loss.

“In the Vidarbha region, which is soybean and cotton hub, farmers suffered losses up to 80 per cent. Therefore, the government should come out with measures to provide immediate relief,” Fadnavis wrote.

“Instead of focusing on non-issues to settle scores against individuals, the government needs to address larger concerns of poor people and small and marginal farmers struggling for a decent meal in their distant villages,” the former CM wrote to Thackeray.

Fadnavis demanded a review of the guidelines for relief to rain-affected farmers as Vidarbha farmers have larger land holdings needing greater financial investment, but due to geographical and climatic conditions, the harvest is lower than other regions of the state.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Fadnavis said, “Maharashtra is witnessing Emergency. In 1977, Emergency was defeated. But the mindset lives on. Allies Congress and Shiv Sena, which had then supported Emergency, have once displayed undemocratic brutality to crush the voice of dissent.”

“However, India has always valiantly fought against such forces and will continue to do so,” he added.

Former minister and BJP MLA Ashish Shelar told media persons in Mumbai, “It is to convey a strong message to one and all not to ever question Gandhi and Thackeray, families. If anybody dares to raise a question or point out faults, they will be put in prison.”

Although the state government announced a Rs 10,000-crore package last month for rain-hit farmers, the delay in completing panchanamas coupled with bureaucratic hurdles are coming in the way of benefits reaching the farmer.