Pawar to conclude Sangharsh Yatra today

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar will join the Sangharsh Yatra, organised by six Opposition parties in Maharashtra demanding farm loan waiver, on Tuesday. Pawar will speak at the concluding event organised in Panvel. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who was supposed to join him, will not be there.

A senior NCP leader confirmed that the party chief agreed to join the concluding event. “He will also address a gathering in Panvel,” he said.

The Opposition parties — Congress, NCP, Samajwadi Party (SP), Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), Republican Party (Kawade) and United Janata Dal — collaborated for the first time to raise the issue of debt-ridden farmers to corner the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Maharashtra.

The All India Majlis-e-ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) was also expected to join the movement, but its legislators backed out at the last moment.

“The party’s state unit has invited Rahulji to join the movement and he had earlier assured his presence but later intimated that it won’t be possible owing to his prior engagements,” said a senior Congress leader.

On Monday, the Yatra entered Western Maharashtra. Here, the Opposition leaders interacted with farmers at Pandharpur, holy city in Solapur district, and later held a public meeting at Saswad, about 35 km from Pune city. The convoy will spend the night in Pune and leave for Panvel on Tuesday morning.

Stating that they were happy with the support the Yatra received from farmers, Radhkrishna Vikhe Patil, leader of the Opposition in assembly, said the government has no sympathy towards farmers and the difficulties they are facing.

“This is the reason the government has adopted a dilly-dallying approach to the loan waiver demand of the farmers,” he said alleged.