Nagpur (PTI): Former MLA Bachchu Kadu, who is leading a massive protest for farm loan waiver, on Thursday said he will meet Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai later in the evening and is hopeful of a good decision.
The Prahar Janshakti Party leader also said that a decision on the future course of their agitation will also be taken after the meeting.
The tractor march of farmers began on Monday from Chandurbazar in Amravati district and halted at Wardha before arriving in Nagpur on Tuesday evening.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the protesters, who had blocked National Highway 44 near Nagpur city, to leave the site. Later, state ministers Pankaj Bhoyar and Ashish Jaiswal also held discussions with the protesters on behalf of the government.
Kadu on Wednesday evening said they will vacate the national highway and move to a nearby ground, and he will decide the future course of action after meeting CM Fadnavis on Thursday.
Fadnavis had asked Kadu and other farmer agitation leaders to come to Mumbai for discussions over their demands, instead of holding protests that inconvenience the public and may be exploited by "vested interests".
Speaking to a regional news channel on Thursday, Kadu said he, along with other farmer leaders, will be meeting CM Fadnavis in Mumbai at 7 pm.
"The important issue is the complete loan waiver of poor farmers. I am hopeful that a good decision will come out today," the former state minister said.
A decision on the future course of the 'Maha Elgar' morcha (agitation) will be taken after the meeting with the chief minister, he added.
On Thursday, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange met the protesters at the agitation site in Nagpur.
Kadu said he had appealed for support from various sections of society.
"We had requested support from (state cabinet minister and NCP leader) Chhagan Bhujbal, Prakash Ambedkar, (Opposition) Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and others," he said.
People from all the farmer organisations and various sections of the society made the agitation a huge success, Kadu claimed.
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New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday dismissed reports that the government is considering levying a tax or a cess or a surcharge on foreign travel as "totally false".
The prime minister said this in response to a new report suggesting that the government is considering levying a tax or a cess or a surcharge on foreign travel but no final decision has been taken yet.
"This is totally false. Not an iota of truth in this. There is no question of putting such restrictions on foreign travel. We remain committed to improving 'Ease of Doing Business' and 'Ease of Living' for our people," Modi said in a post on X.
It is rare that the prime minister himself has denied a media report.
The report, quoting sources, claimed that the proposal to levy a cess or a tax or a surcharge on foreign travel is being discussed at the highest levels.
