Nagpur, Dec 12 (NationPress) In a striking revelation, Congress Legislative Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar accused the Minister of Marketing Jayakumar Rawal of having his Officer on Special Duty (OSD) and a private individual from Beed soliciting Rs 3 lakh for soybean procurement centres in Maharashtra.

Wadettiwar stated that farmers in the Nanded and Yavatmal districts are facing rejections of their soybeans. In response, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar has initiated an investigation into these serious allegations.

During the Legislative Assembly session, Wadettiwar showcased the rejected soybeans to highlight the struggles of the affected farmers to the Speaker and the Minister.

After the question hour concluded, he presented samples of the rejected soybeans, leveling serious accusations and demanding urgent solutions.

Former Speaker Nana Patole claimed that the guaranteed price procurement scheme is favoring traders rather than the farmers.

“If quality soybeans are being rejected at procurement centres, what should farmers do?” questioned Wadettiwar.

He criticized the government for not addressing the concerns raised by the opposition regarding farmers seriously.

As the session continued in Vidarbha, he insisted that justice must be served for the farmers.

Upon recognizing the gravity of the situation, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar ordered an investigation into the claims of money being solicited for opening a procurement centre.

He emphasized the need for action post-investigation.

Wadettiwar highlighted the distress of farmers Gajanan Tanamne, Sanjay Sidkhede, Bhagwati Kindat, Ulhas Kindat, and Gajanan Kindat from Nanded district during the Assembly session.

Despite facing a barrage of questions from opposition members, Marketing Minister Jayakumar Rawal struggled to provide satisfactory responses, yet the opposition was prepared to listen.

Earlier, opposition members staged a noisy walkout in protest against the MahaYuti government's negligence towards cotton and soybean growers, pointing out discrepancies in procurement, especially with the widening gap between the purchase price and the guaranteed price.

The opposition expressed serious dissatisfaction with Minister Rawal's responses during question hour and chanted slogans against the state government.

In their frustration, opposition members aggressively criticized the government for its failure to initiate official cotton procurement centres across various regions and for not providing a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for soybeans.

Ultimately, the opposition's anger over the inadequate responses from Minister Rawal led them to walk out of the proceedings.

Vijay Wadettiwar described the government's handling of farmers' issues as a “mockery of the farmers.”