New Delhi:
The Congress today raised suspicion that BJP veteran Yashwant Sinha, who led a farmers' stir in Maharashtra, was detained "on the direction of a big boss in Delhi" so that he could not move around and "expose" the ruling party, particularly in poll-bound Gujarat.
Gujarat, where the BJP and Congress are locked in an intense battle, goes to assembly polls in two phases on December 9 and December 14.
Congress general secretary in-charge for Maharashtra Mohan Prakash said Sinha echoed what the opposition in the state had been saying and that his agitation "exposed" the ruling party's claims with regard to farm issues, including the loan waiver scheme.
He asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah are not coming clear on the issues flagged by Sinha during his three-day protest in Akola.
Sinha, who raised the issue of the government's alleged apathy towards cotton and soybean cultivators along with hundreds of farmers, was detained two days ago. Sinha was released reportedly a few hours after he was detained.
Former Union finance minister Sinha called of his three- day protest today. "A senior leader like Sinha was sitting there, showing a mirror to the government. It exposed the government's claim and the BJP's face on the issue of loan waiver. And where are the prime minister and Amit Shah now?" Mohan Prakash asked.
He added, "There is a suspicion that the Maharashtra government detained Sinha on the direction of a big boss in Delhi so that he cannot move around in parts of the country, including Gujarat."
The Congress leader also hit out at the state's Devendra Fadnavis dispensation over reported deaths of farmers from suspected pesticide poisoning in Vidarbha region.
He accused the state government of not clearing air yet about the type of chemical that was used in the pesticides.
"It has been three months that the pesticides killed human beings instead of insects. Yet the government has not told us which chemical it was? The bogus pesticides and seeds cannot be sold without the government's help," he alleged.
According to media reports, around 40 farmers died due to pesticide poisoning in the state in July-September this year.
