BHOPAL: Amid raging farmers' protest in Madhya Pradesh , chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan began his `Gandhigiri' with indefinite fast at BHEL Dussahera Maidan, on Saturday to restore peace and open a dialogue with the farmers' groups.

This is not the first time that Chouhan as a chief minister is going on fast. He has gone on similar fasts twice before during the Congress regime. In 2013, Chauhan sat on a dharna to put pressure on the then Manmohan Singh government to seek Rs 5000 crore relief package for the farmers of the state.

During the UPA regime, the chief minister sat on a fast at Roshanpura to protest against the shortage of coal for power generation plants in Madhya Pradesh where he had observed a half-day fast along with his Cabinet colleagues.

This time around, Chouhan clad in traditional kurta-pajama and a Nehru jacket, began his fast after former chief minister Kailash Joshi put a 'tilak' on his forehead amid slogans raised by supporters, "Kisan ka Samman hai, Shivraj Singh Chouhan hai (it's a matter of farmers' pride for which Shivraj Singh Chouhan has arrived) and ``Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan''.

In an emotional appeal to the farmers, Chouhan called upon to maintain peace across the state as the agitation has turned anarchic. He said a handful of people have been involved in damaging public properties incurring a loss of crores of rupees to the government. He appealed the farmers to come to Dussahera Maidan to have a dialogue with him.

``I appeal to the farmers to maintain peace and have a dialogue with me here at Dussahera Maidan. I have shifted my office in the open and will observe fast until peace is restored in the state. Farmers can talk to me without any hesitation as I will be available here for the next few days'', said Chouhan while addressing a gathering of BJP workers and farmers.

He said the agitation has turned lawless in certain parts where protesters have handed over stones to children of 18 and 20 year old. But, the government will deal with them strictly, he warned. ``Somebody was saying that situation in Madhya Pradesh has turned violent like in Kashmir where people were seen hurling stones, damaging properties and attacking policemen. More than 800 cops have been injured in attacks during the agitation in last few days while, 197 government vehicles were damaged or torched by the vandals'', said Chouhan.

The chief minister also cautioned about public safety during the protests in violent-hit areas saying, ``providing security to all is my Raj Dharm'' (duty of a ruler) and there will be no compromise on security''.

During the address, Chouhan reiterated his commitment to the farmers and mentioned the step taken for their welfare. He said during BJP's regime the irrigation facility has increased manifold and due to abundant water farmers were reaping rich harvest.

''This year again bumper crop production has sent the prices crashing down in the state aggravating the problems of the farmers. The government stands firm with them and will buy their produce at minimum support price (MSP) to give profitable margin to them'', assured the chief minister.

He said the government has already bought huge quantity of onions at 22 procurement centres at MSP of Rs 8 per kg. Farmers’ labour won't go waste as the government has also decided to buy different varieties of pulses at MSP from June 10", the chief minister said.

Chouhan said his government was pro-farmer and recalled efforts underway to make farming a profitable business in MP. He said the government had extended Rs 4,800 crore as relief amount to farmers when their soyabean crop was destroyed last year. Similarly, Rs 4,400 crore went as crop insurance compensation sum last year.

The gathering was attended by Chouhan's cabinet colleagues, senior BJP leaders including state president Nandkumar Singh Chouhan, Rajya Sabha member Prabhat Jha and nation general secretary Kailash Vijayavargiya who reached the venue in the evening from Indore.

