The central government has presented the budget but handed Maharashtra a "carrot," chanted the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar Party leader in the 'gajar andolan' (carrot protest) held outside the Collector office in Thane today under the guidance of their National General Secretary and MLA Dr. Jitendra Awhad.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget yesterday, which was generous to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh but had no provisions for Maharashtra, according to the NCP (SCP) leaders. In protest, the NCP-Sharad Pawar Party, led by city president Suhas Desai and working president Prakash Patil, staged a vigorous demonstration in Thane. Party workers shouted slogans condemning the central government while holding carrots. Banners and placards were prominently displayed, and loud anti-government slogans were raised.
Suhas Desai stated that the central government harbors animosity towards Maharashtra. "First, they took away industries from Maharashtra, and now they have ignored us in the budget. Ideally, MPs from the Mahayuti alliance should have fought for Maharashtra, but they remain silent. If Andhra and Bihar are being favored, BJP, the Shinde faction, and the Ajit Pawar faction should have had the courage to question the injustice to Maharashtra. But they can't do that, which is unfortunate for Maharashtra," he criticized.