NCP to hold protest in Marathwada from January 16

Mumbai: The Nationalist Cong-ress Party (NCP), which had held a 12-day-long padyatra in Vidarbha against the state government’s “failure in the agriculture sector, in generating employment and maintaining law and order”, is planning to organise similar protests in Marathwada from January 16.

All state level leaders will join the yatra. The march will start from Tuljapur in Osmanabad and end at Jalna.

NCP leaders such as Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil and Dhananjay Munde had walked for 12 days through Yavatmal, Wardha and Nagpur districts before the Assembly session.

That yatra was planned to highlight issues such as farmer suicides in Vidarbha, unemployment, government apathy while handling agriculture issues and the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state. ‘Mission Marathwada’ will be on the same lines to make ready the party for the general and Assembly elections in 2019.

“Marathwada is also subject to the issues of farmer suicides, failure in loan waiver scheme and rising unemployment. The state administration has completely failed to address these issues. We will reach out to the public and raise these issues,” said Sunil Tatkare, NCP’s state president.

Marathwada has always been a key region for the NCP. Apart from its bastion — western Maharashtra —  Marathwada has yielded the highest number of seats to the NCP.

The party has now decided to boost the morale of the cadre and make it readyfor the 2019 polls.