The Congress on Tuesday organised a huge rally in which more than 50,000 people participated, according to the estimate of the local police.
The Congress on Tuesday organised a huge rally in which more than 50,000 people participated, according to the estimate of the local police. While addressing the rally, senior AICC leader Mohan Prakash accused the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state of implementing policies that are anti dalits, farmers, tribal and minority populations.
The rally was organised to highlight the state government’s failure on various fronts such as inflation, corruption, drought mitigation and farmers suicides, MPCC president Ashok Chavan had said on Monday. However, while speaking in the rally Mr Prakash attacked not only the state government but also the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The governments led by Mr Modi and Devendra Fadnavis are anti-poor. They are working only for the Ambanis and Adanis. Poor people from all communities are unhappy. But those who speak against the government are termed traitors,” Mr Prakash said.
Targeting the governments on the intolerance issue, the Congress leader said that the BJP governments want to dictate even what people eat, drink and wear. He appealed the people to “join the war started by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi” against the BJP.
Mr Chavan claimed that the state government is cash-strapped because of its populist measures such as cancellation of toll and abolition of LBT that were taken without applying a proper mind. “The state government will increase salaries of its employees as per the seventh pay commission recommendations. But the government cannot help distressed farmers,” he said. Another senior Congress leader Narayan Rane, who also spoke at the rally, said that the state government had failed to fulfil any of its promises made before the elections.
“When they were in the Opposition, Devendra Fadnavis had demanded that then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan was responsible for the spate of farmers suicide and he should be booked for the murder under the IPC section 302,” Mr Rane said.
“Now they should be booked under IPC section 302 as more than 3,000 farmers have committed suicide after they came to power,” he added. Mr Rane also claimed the Modi waive is on its decline in the country and a new Congress waive is emerging.
The people at the rally had arrived in Nagpur to attend the rally from different parts of Maharashtra in vehicles arranged by the Congress party. Many of them were farmers and said that they were hoping to get better prices for their produces.
An orange grower from the Vidarbha region, who was in the rally said that he is not getting even 35 paise for an orange which is available in the retail market for Rs 4-5. “I am just hoping that somebody raises our issues and we get better returns. Currently it is difficult to earn even Rs 10,000-12,000 per year,” he said.
