Pro-farmer party Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana withdraws support to Devendra Fadnavis govt in Maharashtra

Mumbai: The Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS), headed by MP Raju Shetti, formally withdrew its support to the BJP government in Maharashtra by submitting a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to that effect in Mumbai on Monday. [caption id=“attachment_3922605” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. PTI[/caption] Last week, Shetti had announced snapping of ties with the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra, accusing the NDA of failing to honour its promises made to the farmers. The decision to pull out of the NDA and the ‘Mahayuti’ (grand alliance) in the state was taken during a state-level executive meeting of the party in Pune on 30 August. Shetti handed over the letter to Fadnavis on Monday at his official residence Varsha. Last week, Shetti had said, “We had supported the NDA and Mahayuti before the 2014 elections, as it promised the minimum support price for crops. However, in all these years, they have failed to honour their promises.” He had also said that the SSS had committed a “grave mistake” by extending support to the NDA, as “all the promises made to the farmers by the Centre and the state government in the election manifesto have failed to see the light of the day”. Earlier last month, the SSS had expelled Maharashtra Minister of State for Agriculture Sadabhau Khot, who was a party MLC, for “anti-party activities”. Ravikant Tupkar of the SSS has also resigned as the chairman of Maharashtra State Textile Corporation Ltd.