Maharashtra Assembly polls: BJP’s ‘troubleshooter’ faces trouble in Jamner — a 2011 agitation launched by him

The trouble stems from a 2011 agitation in Jamner demanding higher minimum support price (MSP) for cotton — launched by Mahajan himself.

Mahajan had sat on an indefinite hunger strike to demand Rs 6,000 per quintal MSP for cotton farmers in 2011, when the Congress-NCP government was in power in Maharashtra. (Express Archives)

Senior BJP leader Girish Mahajan, who is known as the party’s “troubleshooter”, is facing trouble in Jamner seat, from where he is contesting Assembly polls for a seventh term as an MLA.

The trouble stems from a 2011 agitation in Jamner demanding higher minimum support price (MSP) for cotton — launched by Mahajan himself. Thirteen years later, discontent cotton and milk producers of the region are citing the 2011 agitation and demanding a fair MSP for their produce.

Mahajan had sat on an indefinite hunger strike to demand Rs 6,000 per quintal MSP for cotton farmers in 2011, when the Congress-NCP government was in power in Maharashtra. The agitation had even turned violent.

With Mahajan, who is the state minister of rural development, seeking re-election from the constituency, cotton farmers allege that they still get less than Rs 6,000 per quintal for their produce. A video of Mahajan’s hunger strike of 2011 has also surfaced on social media.

Abhay Patil, a cotton producer from Pachora, said, “When he was in the Opposition, he launched an agitation and even sat on hunger strike. He was claiming that when the BJP government comes to power, the cotton producers would get a fair MSP. He was demanding Rs 6,000 per quintal MSP for cotton. It was in 2011 and now it is 2024. The prices still remain at Rs 6,000 or even lower.”

“Instead of speaking about the Ladki Bahin Yojana and other schemes, he should first speak about the cotton prices,” added Patil, who was watching a video of Mahajan on mobile phone with his friends at their village.

Expressing displeasure over the prices, another villager said, “Now we do not have any hope on these people (the government). If they had to do something for us, they would have done it. For how many years will we have to fight for the fair price?.” Some farmers hope that with the video of Mahajan surfacing on social media, either him or the BJP will do something for farmers.

Story continues below this ad

“At least now they should do something for farmers. The prices of seeds, fertilisers, labour, electricity and transportation are increasing day by day but we are still getting the same price which we were getting 10 years ago. Sometimes the prices are even lower than Rs 5,000,” Raosaheb Chaudari, another farmer from Jamner tehsil, said.

Mahajan is also likely to face a tough fight in the seat as NCP(SP) has fielded BJP turncoat and Mahajan’s former ally Dilip Khodpe against him from Jamner.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram