Wadettiwar demands action, suspension of Gaikwad over remarks on farmer suicides

Buldhana MP Sanjay Gaikwad has made a statement on farmer suicides that has sparked a controversy. Gaikwad had said that if a farmer dies by suicide, nobody should go to his death or funeral. His words were that animals would eat the body, and then farmers would understand and would not die by suicide. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Shiv Sena are reportedly angry over the remark. Congress leader and MLA Vijay Wadettiwar has reacted sharply.

Wadettiwar demanded that the government and the Chief Minister take immediate action against Gaikwad. He said farmers in the state, already hit by drought, are in distress and have now been insulted. He said he felt the insult had come from the government. He asked whether, if no action is taken, the government agrees with the statement. If it does not agree, it should act. He said that if the tears in farmers' eyes are visible and there is even a little sympathy for them, action should follow. Wadettiwar said resentment against the government has built up.

Wadettiwar said anyone who defames farmers has no right to remain a legislator. The party in which he works should suspend him, and the government should take further action. He said the government should bring a motion and suspend him in the December session. He said this was not the first time, that Gaikwad had spoken in debased language many times before, and that there was no limit to his words. Wadettiwar's reaction was that such people's tongues should be cut off.

Ravindra Dhangekar had said that Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray could also come together in the state, adding that this is politics. Wadettiwar said he did not know about this and that Dhangekar would know from his own experience. He remarked wryly that Dhangekar has stopped the vehicle and got a signal. Wadettiwar also said Maharashtra faces drought conditions, the question of drinking water is about to arise, and while there was never water in tankers before, it has now come to supplying water by tanker.

On the water issue, Wadettiwar asked whether officials and employees of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation had approved a construction project even though they should have understood that it would need a great deal of water. He asked whether the corporation should have given the approval and whether the government had permitted the proposal. He demanded that the approval be cancelled. He alleged that the deal was struck after crores of rupees were taken, and that this is why approval was granted. He said coal washeries in Chandrapur should be stopped, and that the Lavasa project also needs a great deal of water.

On data centres, Wadettiwar said 66 per cent of data centres are in Maharashtra and they need a great deal of water. He said the government should rethink this and ensure that no new data centre is built. He said that in terms of one megawatt of power, Maharashtra has the largest share, and that Adani and Ambani have set up data centres here. He said water arrangements will have to be made until June, so data centres should be halted. Wadettiwar said he would write to the Chief Minister about this.

On the Shalarth ID scam, Wadettiwar said a scam bigger than the Madhya Pradesh recruitment scam has taken place in Maharashtra and that transactions of Rs 10 crore have come to light. According to him, large-scale corruption took place in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and everywhere. He alleged that the BJP taluka president of Hindi Vikas Vidyalaya committed a major fraud in Shalarth IDs and that the government is protecting him. He also alleged that the BJP taluka president of Pandharkawada in Yavatmal district got his wife appointed as headmistress and had 12 employees appointed fraudulently. Wadettiwar said an investigation should be held, that many people in Maharashtra will go behind bars, and that the issue will also be raised in the Assembly.

On forest felling, Wadettiwar said that after Bhimashankar, trees are going to be cut in Raigad, and the proposal is being pushed forward afresh. He said a spark of controversy has been lit there too. According to him, no gram panchayat has passed any resolution anywhere. He said that after trees were cut in Warangi and Toronto in the Sahyadris, the government has begun clearing forest in the Ajanta area of Sambhajinagar. He asked what is being achieved by destroying the power generation centre, gardens and other historical heritage. Wadettiwar said the environment is being damaged, drought conditions will recur and the next generation will suffer, so development should happen without felling forests.