No fancy clothes or glares for Maha Oppn leaders’ campaign

Maharashtra Opposition parties have framed an informal code of conduct for its leaders and workers participating in the third phase of the Sangharsh yatra for farm loan waiver — no fancy clothes or jewellery, no sunglasses and definitely no arguments with citizens.

Six prominent parties — the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), Republican Party (Kawade) and United Janata Dal — have joined hands to take on the BJP-led Maharashtra government over farm loan waiver. Following the UP government’s decision, the parties are mounting pressure on the Devendra Fadnavis government to grant ₹30,500-crore loan waiver to farmers in Maharashtra.

The yatra will start from Kolhapur in Maharashtra on April 25. The three-day protest march will cover three districts of western Maharashtra — Kolhapur, Satara and Sangli — that were not covered in the earlier phases. After a series of electoral defeats, the march is seen as the opposition’s attempt to reconnect with farmers and rural areas.

As part of the Sangharsh Yatra, leaders and workers visit villages and interact with farmers and families affected where farmers committed suicides. The code has been given to ensure the ruling BJP does not get a chance to criticise the opposition.

“Leaders have been asked to wear simple clothes. They cannot wear sunglasses or gold ornaments at the march,” said a senior leader, adding the idea is to relate to farmers in distress.

Almost all leaders will wear a ‘gamcha’, a traditional cotton towel used in rural areas, to protect themselves from heat during their visit to villages.