Mumbai
Opposition legislators staged a walkout from the Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday, raising concerns over the “deepening agrarian crisis”, including alleged irregularities in soya bean procurement, non-payment of dues, and rising farmer suicides.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar led the charge, highlighting the plight of soya bean farmers who have not received payments under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme. “Annadata has been betrayed,” he said, accusing the government of making false promises and delaying rightful payments.
Mr. Wadettiwar said that in just the past three months, 767 farmers have died by suicide, with 200 cases declared ineligible for compensation and inquiries still pending in 194 cases. He moved an adjournment motion seeking a detailed discussion on the matter.
Cooperation and Marketing Minister Jaykumar Rawal claimed soya bean procurement was conducted on a record scale across 562 centres, involving over 51,000 farmers. He said ₹5,500 crore had already been transferred directly into farmers’ bank accounts. “However, a controversy emerged during the talks involving the Andura Shetkari Company, a farmer collective.The group failed to deliver 1,297 quintals of soya bean to government warehouse despite logging procurement records,” he said.
Published – July 03, 2025 01:34 am IST
