By IANS,
Nagpur : Independent legislator from Vidarbha Ravi Rana Sunday ended his seven-day long hunger strike after being assured by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan that pricing issues raised by cotton and soya farmers will be resolved.
The 32-year-old Rana was rushed to a Nagpur hospital Saturday after his condition became critical with swelling in his kidneys, chest pain and a sharp fall of over 10 kgs in his body weight, his wife Navneet Kaur told reporters.
“Chavan and several cabinet ministers including Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Narayan Rane, Balasaheb Thorat, Shivajirao Moghe and others spoke to me and appealed to end the fast. After getting the CM’s written assurance today that the matter would be resolved Wednesday, I decided to end my hunger strike,” Rana said from his bed in the hospital’s ICU.
Agriculture Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said that Rana has been invited to attend an all-party meeting convened by the chief minister Wednesday, where a decision on the pricing issue is expected to be finalised.
Rana has been demanding a wholesale price of Rs.6,000 per quintal for cotton farmers to improve their financial lot and