Gopinath Munde detained during farmers' agitation

Aurangabad, Maharashtra, May 19 (UNI) Several BJP leaders, including party general secretary Gopinath Munde, were detained after a party-led farmers' agitation to draw attention of the government to the plight of sugarcane growers turned violent today.

The agitation was held in front of the Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI) near here where a meeting to review the Kharif 2007 season was in progress in the presence of state agriculture minister Balasaheb Thorat and guardian minister Patangrao Kadam.

The BJP workers had gathered at the venue to participate in the state-wide ''burn sugarcane'' agitation to protest against the government inaction to resolve the issue arising out of excess sugarcane.

Mr Munde, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Pandurang Phundkar, Pasha Patel, and several other leaders attempted to enter the premises but were prevented by the police at the entrance Later, Mr Munde and 50 others were detained and taken to Osmanpura police station. However, a number of slogan-shouting BJP workers managed to enter the premises forcing the police to resort to a lathi-charge to evert them. About 25 people, including MLA Sandu Patil Lokhande, sustained injuries, according to BJP city unit president, Atul Save.

A BJP release in Mumbai, earlier, had claimed that Mr Munde and Mr Phundkar, too, had been hurt in the police caning.

Earlier, while speaking to reporters, Mr Munde alleged that Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has no time for farmers and was more busy with cricket.

Demading Rs 40,000 per hectare to affected sugarcane growers, increase in the export subsidy to the tune of Rs 2000 per tonne to all the sugar factories, and a meeting of all those concerned to solve the crisis, the BJP leader said his party would make a representation to the Governor on this issue on May 24. If no action was taken, the BJP-Shiv Sena combine would ''gherao'' the district collectorates in the state on March 31, he added.

UNI