CM Devendra Fadnavis faces fight on multiple fronts

Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis faces a fight on many fronts in the next two to three weeks, as all parties, including the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and farmers organisations have scheduled various agitations. Also, the Kopardi rape-murder case sentencing is due next week, and there is a possibility of adverse reactions if the punishment given to the culprits is deemed insufficient. The farmers’ loan waiver issue is still not resolved and their agitations for Minimum Support Price for sugarcane, cotton and soybean will continue.

Opposition parties are attacking Mr Fadnavis on various issues and they will take the fight to the streets now. The Congress will start its ‘Sangharsh Yatra’ and the NCP’s ‘Yalgar March’ will also attack the government. The controversy over the period film ‘Padmavati’ rages on and agitations show no sign of dying down.

“Farmers are on the street for MSP for sugarcane, cotton, soybean and other agricultural products. Violence took place in some agitations (in the past) and the police resorted to firing. Farmers have become more aggressive now and many organisations are meeting tomorrow in Solapur to discuss the future action plan. Agitations will continue,” Swabhimani Paksha party president and Member of Parliament Raju Shetty said.

The farmers’ loan waiver issue is still unresolved and opposition parties have started targeting Mr Fadnavis personally on various issues. For instance, Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam has alleged that an IAS officer from Mr Fadnavis’s office has aided a private company to bag the contract for towing away vehicles in the city. The chief minister’s office has rejected the accusation.

These attacks are expected to intensify and the opposition will come together to fight the BJP in the Legislative Council election scheduled for December 7 and the Assembly session that will follow it.