Maharashtra farmer, Murlidhar Raut, who shot to fame after Prime Minister lauded him during “Mann Ki Baat” show, tried to kill self along with four other farmers on Monday over low compensation for his land.
Modi, in his ‘Mann Ki Baat‘ programme in 2016, had praised 42-year-old Murlidhar Raut, for his humanitarian work post-demonetisation in November that year. He was lauded for feeding hungry people, mostly highway passengers, carrying demonetised Rs 500 and 1000 notes at his hotel immediately after the noteban.
Raut asked those who did not have cash to eat food in the hotel first and pay the money later if they went through the same route.
An official said that Maratha Hotel in Balapur tehsil of Akola where Raut fed scores of customers without taking money after note-ban has now been taken over for national highway widening.
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Raut and others alleged the authorities granted bigger compensation to influential persons both from Congress and BJP while giving only a fraction to those like him.
Raut and others had gone to the district collector Narendra Lonkar’s office with their case. After a heated argument, Raut, along with four other farmers, ate poison in front of Narendra Lonkar’s office on Monday evening. The provocation for Monday’s suicide attempt was an unfavourable ruling recently by an arbitration panel in the land acquisition case
The five farmers are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Akola and their condition is stable.
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