Modi govt responsible for suicides by farmers: Togadia
Ahmedabad, Dec 15: Hindutva leader Pravin Togadia Saturday blamed "wrong policies" of Narendra Modi government for farmers' suicides in the country.
Togadia, who has recently floated Antar-Rashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP), Saturday took part in a 20-km march from Dehgam to Gandhinagar in support of the farmers.
Several locals and farmers participated in the protest which was organised by the Rashtriya Kisan Parishad (RKP), an AHP wing.
While talking to reporters at Gandhinagar after culmination of the march, Togadia said the BJP should stop considering the farmers as a "vote-bank".
"Government has betrayed and tortured the farmers to the limits. Enough is enough. Farmers are being crushed under a mountain of debt and are committing suicides due to wrong policies of the government. This government should resign if they cannot do justice to the farming community", demanded Togadia.
He accused the prime minister of "betraying" farmers by "not keeping" promises.
"Modi had promised that recommendations made by the Swaminathan Commission for farmers in its report will be implemented in toto. But, as usual, he betrayed farmers on this promise too. The government has also fooled farmers in the name of Minimum Support Price (MSP) declared recently", the former VHP leader said.
Commenting on the problems being faced by the agriculturists in Gujarat, Togadia alleged the BJP government is favouring industries over farmers by supplying them water and electricity.
"Though a canal passes from Dehgam, local farmers do not get water from it. On the other hand, industries are getting water generously. Crop insurance is a scheme to fill the pockets of some insurance companies. If this continues, such protests would take place across the country", he said.
Togadia demanded a total debt waiver for farmers, a separate budget for agriculture, better MSP, and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendation.
"If the government fails to act now, farmers would teach a lesson to the ruling BJP in the 2019 polls", he said.
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Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link now fully operational
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link was opened to vehicular traffic on Saturday noon after a delay caused by the dismantling of inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work, a day after the Pune section became operational.
The 13.3 km-long "missing link", which bypasses a section of the Bhor Ghat stretch of the expressway and cuts travel time between Mumbai and Pune by 25 to 30 minutes, was inaugurated a day earlier by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.
The Pune-bound carriageway of the corridor was opened to traffic immediately; however, the Mumbai-bound section remained closed to traffic for several hours after the inauguration.
An official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation told PTI on Saturday that the opening of the Mumbai-bound carriageway was delayed mainly due to the dismantling of the inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work.
The removal of the stage and other decorations was completed in the morning. The work to load and transport the material slightly delayed the opening of the carriageway.
Vehicular movement on the carriageway began after all the remaining material was cleared and road cleaning was completed, the official added.
The expressway control room said that despite significant vehicular movement, the access-controlled highway has not witnessed any major traffic snarls since Friday evening, after the Pune-bound carriageway of the missing link was opened to traffic.
The Missing Link project connects Khopoli (in Raigad) on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district and is expected to make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the ghat section.
Developed by the MSRDC and dubbed an "engineering marvel", the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It bypasses the steep, accident-prone ghat section, where frequent traffic snarls are reported during weekends and on public holidays.
