MUMBAI: To avoid a repetition of the Lok Sabha election outcome in Maharashtra, the BJP-led Mahayuti has unanimously decided to focus on addressing the agrarian distress ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls. The alliance has urged Union Minister Amit Shah to take measures to resolve the issue.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday said that he, along with other NCP leaders, had met Shah in Mumbai, where they requested him that he address the agrarian distress. To ensure that the farmers of Nasik and other parts of the state get good rates, the leaders urged the minister not to impose a ban on onion export.
“We also sought continuation of the ban on onion import. Let the local farmers get good prices for their produce. Besides, the cotton and soybean prices be increased. Since the past several years, there has been no significant rise in the minimum support price of soybeans and cotton.
Therefore, the MSP of these crops should be increased substantially. The sugar cane FRP should be also increased. I conveyed to him these issues and asked for the Centre’s attention,” Pawar added. In the Lok Sabha polls, BJP and its allies lost severely due to the rural issues.