Cong announces ‘halla bol’ march to Maha Legislature on Monday

Nagpur: The Maharashtra Congress will take out a ‘halla bol’ march to the Maharashtra Legislature, currently holding the Winter Session here on December 11, to raise the issues of farmers, youth, women, law and order, and other public issues, top leaders said here on Saturday.

State Congress President Nana Patole said that the farmers of the state are in dire straits but there is no price for their farm produce, they have suffered huge losses in the recent unseasonal rains/hailstorms, yet the government has not extended proper aid to them.

“The government is only making hollow announcements. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and others merely went on ‘tourism’ of the ravaged farmlands and returned after clicking photos. Actual aid has not yet reached the farmers. Even the previous assistance announced has not been disbursed and crop insurance money is also pending,” said Patole.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT) has held vociferous protests for two consecutive days outside the legislature to highlight the plight of the farmers, but the state government did not allow discussion on it, he said.

Touching on the law-and-order situation, Patole cited the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Report in which Maharashtra ranks the second in abductions/kidnap, murders, abuse of women and other crimes, but the Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Home Minister has totally ignored the findings, said Patole.

Dwelling on the plight of growing unemployment with 2,50,000 vacancies in government departments, he accused the ruling MahaYuti regime of not announcing recruitments though millions of youths are waiting for jobs, and are crossing the age-bar for such jobs.

The ‘halla bol’ will be led by Patole with senior leaders like Balasaheb Thorat, former chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan, Satej Patil, M. Arif Naseem Khan, Basavaraj Patil, Praniti Shinde, Kunal Patil, all legislators and parliamentarians, the Mahila Congress, Youth Congress and other wings of the party shall join the protest march.

–IANS