Protest over onion, potato inclusion in essential commodities

Scores of farmers under the banner of farmer welfare organisation Shetkari Sanghathan took out a rally near here demanding to exclude onion and potato from list of essential commodities.
Farmers, headed by organisation's founder and leader Sharad Joshi said yesterday they will also stage a 'rail roko' agitation at Lasalgaon in Nashik on August 14, demanding waiving off loans against farmers, besides their key demand of keeping onion and potato out of the essential commodity's list.
Joshi, addressing the rally at Pimpalgaon Baswant village, around 35 kms from here, alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the new BJP government by showing dreams of "achhe din" to farmers came to power, but are now framing anti-farmers policies.

Protesters agitated by hampering traffic at the busy Mumbai-Agra national highway.
The Centre, had earlier last month brought onion and potato under the ambit of essential commodities, with an aim to arrest rising prices of the two vegetables.