Mumbai, Aug 29 In a shocking form of protest, scores of farmers from Wardha jumped onto the heavy safety-nets installed in the foyer of the Mantralaya, the state government headquarters to press for their long-pending demands, here on Tuesday afternoon.
The farmers came inside Mantralaya in small groups, ostensibly to attend a medical camp set up there, but suddenly started raising slogans against the government, attempted to go and gherao PWD Minister Dada Bhuse and then jumped onto the safety nets.
The farmers also sported black posters with the legend, ‘Upper Wardha Action Committee’ and said that despite repeated reminders their demands were not accepted.
Their leaders claimed that many of the farmers had given up their lands to the government for the proposed Upper Wardha Dam Project nearly four months ago, but so far have not been paid any compensation as assured.
“We have been making rounds of Mantralaya and the concerned departments for several weeks now, but we are not allowed to meet the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde or the Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar… If the government fails to take action by tomorrow, we shall commit suicide,” warned one of the protesting farmers.
The protestors threw leaflets and posters of their demands on the safety-net and then more than two dozen of them jumped on it from the first floor, even as the Mantralaya staffers and others rushed to witness the sensational development.
Later, Bhuse went to meet and calm their representatives, while the police came and got down on the safety-nets and removed the farmers one-by-one to safety.
Shiv Sena (UBT)’s farmer face, Kishore Tiwari said that “this is another instance of the present state government’s total insensitivity towards the farmers” due to which they are committing suicides almost every day in Maharashtra.
Expressing concerns, Aam Aadmi Party Mumbai President Preeti Sharma-Menon slammed the government on the issue.
“Farmers are doing a risky protest inside Mantralaya. This callous government has failed to provide the promised compensation, it doesn’t even bother to address farmers’ issues,” said Sharma-Menon.
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