Raju Shetti, Thackeray collaborate to counter Adani Group in Maharashtra
Raju Shetti, Thackeray collaborate to counter Adani
Group in Maharashtra
Farmer leader Raju Shetti and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will work together to protest against alleged undue favors to the Adani group in Maharashtra. Shetti will hold protests in rural areas while Thackeray will focus on urban areas. They will also jointly address the issue of Adani’s hydro power projects in Konkan and Kolhapur.
Popular farmer leader Raju Shetti and Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray have determined to work together to counter what they call undue favours to the Adani group across Maharashtra.
According to their plan, Shetti will hold protests against favours granted to Adani group projects in the state’s rural areas likely to impact the agrarian community, while Thackeray will support these agitations.
Likewise, the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena will hold protests against Adani group projects in urban areas, with Shetti playing a supporting role.
In the backdrop of Shiv Sena (UBT)’s ongoing agitation against the Dharavi redevelopment project for alleged irregularities worth ₹100 crore and undue favours from the state government.
the fresh development assumes significance.
in the backdrop of Shiv Sena
As per Shetti, they have discussed echoing their voice against undue favours given to the Adani group in rural and urban areas and supporting each other in these protests.
Thackeray has already echoed his voice against the Dharavi redevelopment project.
Shetti, a two-term MP from the Hatkanangale Lok Sabha constituency in Kolhapur district who lost to Shiv Sena’s Dhairyasheel Mane in the 2019 poll, added that he is going to take up the issue of spike in farmers suicides amidst the tour of Marathwada from January 15 onwards. Mane is part of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction.
Marathwada has a large number of soybean producers who have been badly affected by the central government’s decision to slash import duty on palm oil, allegedly to favour Adani’s oil business.
The rate of soybean has dropped by around 50%, plunging farmers in deep financial crisis, explained Shetti, who parted ways with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in 2017.
Shiv Sena (UBT), which has been vocal on farmers’ issues, has a good base in Marathwada.
Shetti and Thackeray also decided to jointly take up the issue of hydro power projects by the Adani group in Konkan and Kolhapur. The Konkan project will affect Sindhudurg district, where the Thackeray faction has strong presence, whereas the Kolhapur project will affect agriculture in the region, which is a stronghold of Shetti.
The meeting amidst Thackeray and Shetti raised several eyebrows in political circles, as Shiv Sena (UBT) had mooted the idea of Shetti joining the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance and contesting from the Hatkanangale several times. Shetti, however, denied the possibility, saying he and his supporters would contest from six Lok Sabha constituencies including Hatkangale, Kolhapur, Sangli, Madha, Parbhani and Buldhana on their own.
News Edit K.V.Raman
