No govt can survive without support of farmers: Former PM Deve Gowda
New Delhi, Nov 29: No government can survive without the support of farmers, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda said Thursday, assuring the agitating peasants here that he stood by them in their struggle.
Thousands of farmers from across the country converged Thursday at the historic Ramlila Ground after journeys that took some as long as 36 hours to complete to press for their demands, including debt relief and remunerative prices for their produce.
Addressing the massive gathering of farmers, Gowda said, he understood their pain and problems as, "I, myself am a son of a farmer."
"I have come to assure you (farmers) that we stand with you in this hour of struggle. I understand your pains and as a prime minister truer to do whatever I could for farmers," he said.
Later, interacting with reporters at the Ramlila Maidan, he asked the Union government to listen to the demands of farmers.
"No government can survive without (the support of) farmers. The Union government must listen to their demands. The farmers of this country has awakened and they cannot be fooled," Gowda said.
The historic ground, known for hosting big political events over the years, resonated with slogans like 'Ayodhya nahi, karz maafi chahiye' earlier in the day.
They are spending the night at the ground before marching to Parliament on Friday to put forward their demands.
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Double-decker electric bus gutted in fire at Kurla BEST depot
Mumbai (PTI): An empty double-decker electric bus was gutted in a fire during servicing at a BEST depot in Mumbai's Kurla area on Sunday, officials said, adding that nobody was injured.
The blaze broke out inside the Kurla BEST bus depot near Kanakia Building at 4.14 pm, according to preliminary information from the Mumbai Fire Brigade.
The parked bus was unoccupied at the time of the incident.
Fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control. The exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, they said.
No injuries were reported in the incident, officials added.
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has hired 50 electric double-decker buses from Switch Mobility in its fleet of around 2,700 buses.
