Fadnavis terms parties supporting farmers' protest 'hypocrites'

Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], January 25 : Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis lashed out at political parties supporting the farmers' protest against the three agriculture laws and accused them of misleading farmers.
"No farmer is protesting in Maharashtra. There is no support to anti-farm laws protests in the state," Fadnavis told reporters here on Monday.
"In 2006, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party brought contract farming in Maharashtra. If there can be contract farming in Maharashtra, then why not in the entire country," he added.
"Why did they support contract farming then? This is hypocrisy," he said.
The BJD leader said that abolishing the system of Agriculture Produce Markets was part of the Congress party's manifesto for 2019 General Elections.
"Today, such hypocrites are trying to jump on bandwagons for mere political gains," concluded Fadnavis.
Farmers from various districts of the state gather at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, in protest against agriculture laws today.
"We will give memorandum to Governor today. Our families have also come with us because if we lose farming, the entire family will come on the road," a protester said.
Farmers are protesting against the three newly enacted farm laws - Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.