Farmers' strike: Congress asks Fadnavis to introspect

The Maharashtra unit of the Congress today asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to introspect instead of levelling allegations of instigating farmers.
"The chief minister has raised questions over the integrity of farmers through his allegations," Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan said in a statement.
"Instead of levelling unsubstantiated allegations against the Opposition, the CM should introspect what made farmers lose their trust in the government," he said.
Fadnavis had yesterday said his government was trying to resolve the issue through talks but the opposition Congress and the NCP were instigating it for political gains.
The state Congress chief said the farmers' strike has brought the state in a situation it never faced before.

"Instead of ceding to the demands of farmers, the CM is busy in making wild allegations against the Opposition. We will not be deterred but continue to raise our voice against the anti-farmer policies of the government. If you want farmers to live, loan waiver is the only solution," he stated.

Chavan also stated that the response the Opposition received in its Sangharsh Yatra proves that the people have lost trust in the government.
He claimed that the ineffective and unresponsive attitude of the government towards the demands of farmers has led to their protests.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former CM Prithviraj Chavan dared Fadnavis to prove his allegation that the Opposition parties instigated farmers.

"By levelling allegations against us, the CM has rubbed salt on the wounds of farmers. It is very unfortunate. If you have levelled allegations against us, prove them," Chavan said.
"Had farmers listened to us before and protested against the government, the results of Zilla Parishad and municipal corporations would have been different," Chavan, a former Union minister, claimed.
Chavan questioned as to why the BJP was having different yardsticks of justice for farmers in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
"If there are irregularities in milk federation, prove them. Do not just level allegations and indulge in character assassination. There is your chairman in Mahananda dairy. Punish the guilty. Do not just mislead people," Chavan said.