NAGPUR: The BJP's Katol MLA, Ashish Deshmukh, who is on an indefinite 'thhiya andolan' here demanding compensation for farmers affected by the recent hailstorm, was today visited by disgruntled party colleague Yashwant Sinha.
Sinha said that while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attended a programme here, he did did not meet any affected farmer, adding that Vidarbha farmers were never as distressed as they were currently.
He questioned whether farmers were to be left to fend for themselves in times of calamity or whether they were supposed to commit suicide.
"It is very sad that the Chief Minister does not have time to meet affected farmers.
The CM should have taken Ashish Deshmukh's demands for affected farmers in confidence.
The government should have heard his pleas," Sinha said.
Deshmukh said that his agitation would continue, adding that he had demanded compensation of Rs 1 lakh per hectare for orange farmers, Rs 20,000 for wheat and Rs 28,000 for channa (chickpea) farmers.
Terming the government's compensation package as insufficient, Deshmukh claimed that farmers had become "anti-government" and demanded the resignation of Fadnavis.
Later, talking to reporters, Sinha, answering a query on the Punjab National Bank issue, said that it was a huge scam and a court-monitored probe should be carried out.