From the alleged exodus of manufacturing units from Pune’s Chakan industrial area and the alleged neglect of the sugar industry to farmer suicides, and water scarcity in Solapur, the Congress on Tuesday (November 12, 2024) posed a barrage of questions on several issues even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned in poll-bound Maharashtra.
Congress general secretary (in-charge of communications) Jairam Ramesh, in a post on social media platform X, also asked why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had ignored the Dhangar community’s demand to be recognised as a Scheduled Tribe (ST), even though the community constitutes almost 9% of Maharashtra’s population.
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“Effects of caste-based marginalisation are evident from the Dhangars’ poor performance on Human Development Index indicators, but they have received no support from the Mahayuti government,” Mr. Ramesh said.
The Congress leader said Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had made “vague commitments” towards studying other States’ methodologies to address the Dhangars’ demand for reservation but no meaningful progress had been made.
“Pune’s Chakan industrial area is currently witnessing a mass exodus of manufacturing units due to problems caused by poor road infrastructure,” Mr. Ramesh said.
He claimed that despite ongoing roadwork, issues of traffic congestion and potholes continue to plague the area, affecting production schedules and supplies.
“Even after repeated complaints to the Pune police, and many meetings with officials from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), no meaningful progress has been made. Now, around 50 manufacturing units have relocated to other states like Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. What does the non-biological PM have to say about all the jobs that have been lost due to his government’s negligence?” the Congress leader said.
Accusing the Union government of neglecting Maharashtra’s sugar industry, he said that expecting a shortage in sugar production this year, the Central government had imposed a blanket ban on the production of ethanol, as a result of which sugar millers in Maharashtra had been left with stocks worth at least ₹925 crore. The Centre’s predictions, however, were flawed as the per acre yield of sugarcane had actually increased by over 15%, Mr. Ramesh argued.
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“Now, sugar mills find themselves in a fix — in addition to the financial burden imposed by this ban, they are also worried about the fire hazard posed by their existing stocks of ethanol and spirits, which are incredibly combustible materials,” he said.
Nor has the Centre’s reactionary policy helped the farmers — the greater than expected supply of sugarcane had lowered prices for the crop, especially given the drop in demand due to the ethanol ban, he said.
Mr. Ramesh also targeted the Prime Minister over water scarcity in Satara and Solapur, as well as farmer suicides, claiming seven farmers in Maharashtra took their own lives every day.
“In the face of this state-sponsored callousness, the Congress has consistently guaranteed farmers MSP [minimum support price] as per the Swaminathan Committee’s recommendation, a farm loan waiver with a Permanent Commission set up to implement it smoothly, and settlement of all crop insurance claims within 30 days,” the Congress leader said.
Published - November 12, 2024 10:48 am IST
