Madhya Pradesh farmer protest: CM begins fast against violence, ridiculed by Congress

The Chief Minister has said that he will continue to fast 'until peace is restored'.

Tweeting from the CMO Madhya Pradesh handle, he said, "Non-violence is Gandhiji's principle. I have decided to follow his footstep."

He also addressed the farmers from the Dussehra Maidan.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that when he first became the chief minister, around 7.50 lakh hectares were under cultivation in the state whereas now more than 40 lakh hectares are being tilled.

In another tweet, he said, "In last 11.5 yrs have worked tirelessly for all classes of young, women, farmers. Development is focus."

He also tweeted, "All efforts are directed at doubling farmers income & making agriculture remunerative."

He said that there will be a full inquiry into who instigated the violence during the protest and the culprits will not be spared, media reported.

The CM said he will meet the farmers while fasting.

Tweeting in Hindi, he said that he can feel the pain of the farmers who were subjected to beating ("kisan ke pith pare dande ki chot meri pith par lagati hai, pida mujhe mahsoos hoti hai").

He further tweeted, "My life is dedicated to farmers. Their wellbeing is the mission of my life. I request people not to burn up the state. All problems can be resolved peacefully."

Last week, farmers in Mandsaur began agitating, demanding better prices for their produce and for debt relief. On Tuesday, police had to resort to firing when the protesters turned violent and damaged property and set vehicles on fire. Five farmers died on the spot and one more succumbed to his injures on Friday.

The situation was further aggravated when, on Thursday, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, wanted to visit Mandsaur to meet the families of the farmers who had died. He was prevented from entering MP and later arrested. Finally, the state government allowed him to meet the family members at the MP-Rajasthan border, according to media reports.

Opposition Congress Party has derided the fasting by the Madhya Pradesh as "false" and has commented on it in a series of tweets from their handle INC India.

Images: CMO MadhyaPradesh Twitter