Nagpur, Dec 12 Congress Legislative Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Friday in the state assembly alleged that the Minister of Marketing Jayakumar Rawal's Officer on Special Duty (OSD) and a private person from Beed demand Rs 3 lakh to soybean procurement centres in Maharashtra.
He claimed that the soybeans of farmers in the Nanded and Yavatmal districts are being rejected. Taking a serious note, the Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar announced an investigation into the allegations.
Through the Point of Information in the Legislative Assembly, Wadettiwar brought the rejected soybeans of the farmers into the house. He presented the plight of the affected farmers before the Speaker and the Minister.
As soon as the question hour ended, Wadettiwar presented samples of soybeans rejected by farmers in the house, making serious allegations and demanding a solution to this issue.
Former Speaker Nana Patole alleged that the guaranteed price procurement scheme is not for farmers but for traders.
“If the good quality soybeans are being rejected at the soybean procurement centres, should the farmers live or die?” asked Wadettiwar.
He said that the government does not take the questions raised by the opposition on the issue of farmers seriously.
While the session is going on in Vidarbha, he demanded that justice be given to the farmers.
Taking cognisance of this, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar directed to investigation into the allegation that money is being taken for opening a procurement centre.
The Speaker said that measures should be taken after the investigation.
Wadettiwar presented the plight of farmers Gajanan Tanamne, Sanjay Sidkhede, Bhagwati Kindat, Ulhas Kindat, and Gajanan Kindat of Nanded district in the Legislative Assembly.
In the face of a barrage of questions from opposition members, Marketing Minister Jayakumar Rawal tried to respond, but in vain. However, the opposition was ready to listen to him.
Earlier, Opposition members on Thursday staged a noisy walkout protesting against the MahaYuti government’s apathy towards the cotton and soybean growers and anomalies in the procurement, especially amid a rising mismatch between the purchase price and guaranteed price.
Opposition expressed serious displeasure at the Minister of Marketing Jayakumar Rawal's reply during question hour and raised slogans against the state government.
The opposition aggressively cornered the government over the failure to initiate official cotton procurement centres in many parts of the state and the failure to provide a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for soybean.
The opposition members, infuriated by the perfunctory answers given by Minister Rawal on farmers' issues, ultimately staged a walkout.
Congress Legislative Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar accused the government’s response of being a "mockery of the farmers."
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