Daijiworld Media Network- Mumbai
Mumbai, Feb 26: The Maharashtra Congress has announced a statewide agitation on March 3, coinciding with the first day of the Budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature, to protest against the government's failure to address farmers' issues.
State Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal stated that under the BJP-led government, the condition of farmers has worsened, with no assurance of fair prices for their produce.
"Despite promising farm loan waivers during elections, the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government has failed to fulfill its commitments. Farmers are struggling to sell crops like soybean at Rs 4,000 per quintal, which is well below the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Similarly, onion, gram, and cotton farmers are suffering due to falling prices," Sapkal alleged.
The Congress leader also criticized the Centre’s decision to import tur dal from Australia, stating that it would further impact domestic farmers by driving down market prices.
In addition to the March 3 protest, the Congress will hold demonstrations in municipal areas on March 4 to highlight governance failures, particularly in urban development and essential public services.
Sapkal accused the BJP of deliberately delaying local body elections for the past three years, creating a governance vacuum in municipal corporations and local councils.
"With no elected corporators, decision-making power has shifted to Ministers and MLAs, leading to rampant mismanagement. To bring attention to public grievances, Congress will stage protests in municipal areas on March 4," he announced.
Sapkal also raised concerns over recent controversies surrounding political appointments in Maharashtra. He questioned the state government's decision to clear appointments of 106 individuals as Ministers' Personal Assistants (PAs) and Private Secretaries (PSs), while rejecting 16 individuals on the grounds of being “fixers.”
"The Chief Minister must reveal the names of these 16 fixers and disclose the Ministers they were associated with. It is not enough to target officials—action must also be taken against the Ministers involved," he demanded.
Sapkal further alleged that administrative failures have pushed citizens to the brink of despair, citing a recent incident where a young man attempted suicide at Mantralaya.
He accused revenue department officials of "engaging in illegal parties at private resorts while governance remains paralyzed."
"Officials are reckless, and Ministers are indifferent," Sapkal remarked, adding that the Congress will continue its fight to expose the government's failures and demand justice for farmers and citizens.