Maharashtra's minister of fisheries and ports Nitesh Rane was garlanded with onions at a public event.
Credit: X/@skphotography68
Maharashtra's minister of fisheries and ports Nitesh Rane was garlanded with onions at a public event in Baglan Taluka on Monday night, a video of which is now going viral on social media.
According to a report by Times of India, the man who garlanded Rane is a farmer and undertook the act to protest the dropping prices of onions in the district.
The man was detained by the police present at the spot and later released after a few hours.
In the video doing rounds on social media, Rane can be seen standing in front of the podium when a man climbs up the stage with a garland of onions in his hands. While the security officer tries to stop the farmer, Rane let the man put the garland on him.
As per the report, the minister was in Chirai village of Baglan taluka, addressing a programme organised for ‘Paduka Darshan of Sant Nivrittinath Maharaj' when the incident happened.
The farmer has been identified as Mahindra Lahu Suryavanshi. After garlanding the minster, the farmer also attempted to speak to the people on mic but was whisked away by the security guards.
Onion prices have been witnessing a decline in the region since the last few days.
Angry over the drop in onion prices, farmers on Thursday had briefly stopped auctions at the Lasalgaon APMC, the country’s largest wholesale market of the key kitchen staple in Maharashtra’s Nashik district.
The farmers demanded removal of the 20 per cent export duty on onions and an aid of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per quintal of the produce, the APMC officials said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has also urged the BJP-led Centre to remove the 20 per cent levy on onion exports and provide relief to the growers.
In a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Pawar highlighted the issues concerning farmers from Nashik. “The onions grown here (in Nashik) are available in other states of India and also exported in large quantities. As of today, onions from the summer yield have been exhausted and the fresh crop has reached various market committees in Maharashtra,” Pawar wrote.
(With PTI inputs)