Preliminary talks between Maha govt and farmers fail

MUMBAI: Preliminary talks between the state government and the protesting farmers failed to convince the latter from refraining their protest march to Vidhan Bhavan on Monday, according to officials.

Water resources minister and Nasik’s guardian minister Girish Mahajan held primary talks with leaders of the Left-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), at Vikhroli on Sunday afternoon.

The march from Nashik to Mumbai has been organised under the aegis of the AIKS. Mahajan assured leaders that the government was positive about their demands and they will be solved through dialogue. They were invited for a session of deliberation with the state government on Monday at the Vidhan Bhavan.

CPI (M)’s Jiva Pandu Gavit, Ashok Dhawale, national president of AIKS, Aji Nawale, state secretary of AIKS and MLCs Jayant Patil and Kapil Patil were present at the talk with Mahajan.

But, the leaders are firm on their resolve to walk into South Mumbai on Monday to gherao the state assembly while in session to highlight the government’s failure of addressing the farmers plight, they said.

“We are firm on our decision of culminating the march at Vidhan Bhavan. We are aware about the ongoing exams of Std X and XII and are of the opinion that the students should not be disturbed. We are thinking to either start early in morning or after the exams begun in morning,” said a leader privy to the developments.

According to sources in the government, the state leadership failed to anticipate the support the march was garnering. “Until Sunday morning, nobody from the government bothered to hold talks with the leaders of the farmers. It was only after the media glare and the subsequent support extended by various political parties the government initiated steps for the dialogue,” a BJP leader said.