NCP SP Suspends Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Protest After CM Invites Leaders For Talks
On Monday, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) suspended its road blockade protest at Cambridge Chowk in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after receiving an official invitation for talks with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The protest, which demanded a blanket and condition-free farm loan waiver, was called off after about an hour to prevent inconvenience to the public.
The demonstration was led by MLA Rohit Pawar. Nationalist Congress Party (SP) working president and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule also joined the protest at Cambridge Chowk and was later detained by the police.
The suspension of the agitation came after Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan assured the party leaders of a meeting at the Vidhan Bhavan. The talks are scheduled to take place at 11:30 am on Tuesday.
Pawar had earlier alleged that the state government was attempting to suppress the demonstration, which he launched after promised discussions on the new farm loan waiver scheme failed to take place. He had threatened to launch a "jail bharo" movement before the meeting was offered.
"Farmers blocked the road, but we did not want to inconvenience the common people for long," Pawar told reporters. "After speaking to Minister Girish Mahajan, it has been decided that we will meet tomorrow at 11:30 am and discuss the issues with the Chief Minister."
Pawar warned that the agitation would intensify and move to the Vidarbha region if the meeting with the government fails to yield concrete results. Earlier this month, Pawar had also gone on an indefinite hunger strike in Pandharpur in Solapur district over the same issue, which he ended after receiving initial assurances of a discussion.
The protest centers on the 'Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karja-mukti Yojana', a Rs 36,585-crore farm loan waiver scheme approved by the Maharashtra cabinet on June 2. The scheme offers a waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh for nearly 56 lakh cultivators but contains specific eligibility criteria and a One-Time Settlement component. The NCP (SP) is demanding a complete, blanket loan waiver without these conditions.
Before her detention, MP Supriya Sule stated that party legislators would raise the issue in the assembly and warned of a march to the Vidhan Bhavan if their demands are not met. Sule also criticized the government over KYC issues in the Ladki Bahin scheme, alleging that nearly 80 lakh beneficiaries had lost benefits due to incomplete KYC processes.
