Won't leave protest site till farmer demands accepted: Sinha

Akola: A defiant BJP veteran leader Yashwant Sinha, who was detained here yesterday while leading a protest by farmers, on Tuesday vowed not to move out of the place where he spent the night till demands of cultivators of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region are accepted.

The former Union minister, who has had frequent run-ins with the current BJP leadership, was detained last evening while protesting against the state government's "apathy" towards the farmers of Vidarbha. He was taken to the district police headquarters and later released.

However, the 80-year-old leader refused to leave and sat on a dharna at the police ground, where he spent the night. He said he will not budge from the venue till all demands raised by farmers are met.

"The district administration held talks with us till late last night but didn't accept our demands. We won't budge from this venue till demands of farmers are met," Sinha told reporters.

The former Union finance minister said the government does not appear serious about solving problems being faced by agriculturists. "I feel the attitude of the administration and the government towards farmers woes isn't serious. We are not a thing to be ridiculed, to be made fun of." Sinha said he spoke to several local and national leaders about issues related to cultivators.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's media advisor Harshal Pradhan told PTI that Thackeray and Sinha spoke on phone on Tuesday and discussed farmers' issues.

Sinha said there has been no communication with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over half-a-dozen demands of farmers.

There were reports that Sinha had a telephonic conversation with NCP chief and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

The district administration, however, claimed a majority of the demands raised by farmers have been accepted.

Akola Collector Astik Pandey said the authorities concerned have accepted six of the seven demands and requested the agitators to call off the protest.