Mahajan to meeet Shetti in a bid to end milk producers'

Swabhimani Paksha MP Raju Shetti, who is leading the agitation for higher milk purchase prices, tonight said he would be meeting Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan and hold talks.

Sources in the government said that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked Mahajan to meet Shetti in a bid to end the agitation which started on Monday.

Shetti, who is camping in Dahanu, close to the Gujarat border, confirmed that he got an invitation for talks from Mahajan.

"I will meet him tonight, but my demand is unchanged. I want increase of Rs five per litre in the milk purchase price, and I am not going to back down," Shetti told PTI.

Shetti's party has proposed a state-wide agitation tomorrow, appealing farmers to block roads with their cattle.

Earlier in the day, Shetti landed in Dahanu, vowing to stop the trains carrying milk to Maharashtra from Gujarat.

Railways have made special arrangements for supply of milk to Mumbai. A Western Railway official had yesterday said milk tankers will be attached to the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central passenger train to mitigate problems faced by consumers.

"I will see that no train carrying milk from Gujarat to Mumbai will pass from this station," Shetti had said.