The milk-producing farmers on Monday set a milk tanker on fire and blocked milk supplies to major cities and towns in Maharashtra, as they began an indefinite agitation demanding subsidy of Rs 5 per litre of milk from the State Government.
Three activists of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS), which is spearheading the agitation, poured petrol on a milk tanker and set it on fire at Malegaon village in Washim district of eastern Maharashtra. After the tanker went up in flames, the driver jumped out of the vehicle and saved himself.
The farmers waylaid a milk tanker at Shirod village Ahmednagar-Solapur road and emptied milk from the tanker onto the road. They also staged similar protests in places like Pune, Nashik, Kolhapur, Sangli, Beed, Palghar, Buldana, Aurangabad and Solapur
The milk producers, who are demanding either a hike in milk prices or subsidy of Rs 5 per litre of their produce from the State Government, staged protests at many places across the State, including Baramati, Ahmednagar, Junnar, Parbhani and Kasara, and condemned the “anti-farmer” approach of the NJP-led State Government in the State.
In Pune, the activists sent back at least 15 tankers belonging to leading milk supplier “Gokul”, the whole activists performed symbolic ‘abhishek’ with the milk in major temples in Pandharpur, Pune, Beed, Nashik, Ahmednagar.
In a related development, the ruling Shiv Sena and Opposition NCP extended its support to the milk producers’ agitation launched by SSS.
The agitation by the milk producers across the State had its echo in both the Houses of Maharashtra legislature in Nagpur, where monsoon session is currently on.
Extending its support to the agitation launched farmer leader and SSS chief Raju Shetty, the ruling Shiv Sena and Opposition NCP demanded Rs 5 subsidy per litre of milk from the State Government.
Announcing her party’s support to the milk producers’ agitation, NCP MP Supriya Sule said: “The Gujarat Government has announced a financial assistance of Rs 300 crore to the milk producers. What is holding the Maharashtra Government announcing a similar assistanceIJ”