Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha was detained by the police on Monday evening, along with around 250 farmers, in Maharashtra’s Akola district. The group was protesting against the government’s alleged apathy towards farmers in the state’s Vidarbha region, PTI reported.
Although they were released later in the evening, Sinha said he “will not budge” till their demands were met, NDTV reported. The former finance minister and hundreds of farmers were agitating outside the Akola district collector’s office, demanding better prices for crops and for cases to be filed against a few Bt cotton companies.
“Yashwant Sinha and the Shetkari Jagaran Manch were protesting in Akola,” District Collector Aastik Kumar Pandey said. “We have accepted six of his seven demands and promised discussion on the seventh demand.” Pandey said Sinha was arrested because he continued the protest despite discussions with the authorities.
At a gathering, Sinha said that after coming to power in Maharashtra, the BJP had forgotten its promise to give 50% over and above the minimum support price to farmers.
The BJP leader told NDTV that he had not spoken with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. “Neither has he reached out to me, nor have I tried to talk to him,” Sinha said. He claimed the protest was not political.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was “concerned” about Sinha’s detention and was sending MP Dinesh Trivedi to meet him.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Sinha should be “released immediately”. Janata Dal (United) leader Pavan Varma also tweeted his support to Sinha. The JD(U) is an ally of the BJP.
The veteran politician has been at loggerheads with the BJP ever since he wrote an article in September attacking the government for the economic slowdown.
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