Is Bharat Ratna to Swaminathan ploy to conceal Centre's anti-farmer stance? Sharad Pawar group

Clyde Crasto. File Pic

The Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar has claimed the Narendra Modi government bestowed the Bharat Ratna on eminent agricultural scientist late Dr MS Swaminathan to divert attention from its anti-farmer stance, reported news agency PTI.

One of the main demands of the farm outfits protesting currently is the implementation of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism based on the formula of Swaminathan but the Centre was unwilling to implement it, Sharad Pawar group spokesperson Clyde Crasto said on Sunday.

"It is more than two weeks since the current farmers' protest started. The farmers have been stopped by the government from entering Delhi and placing their demands. They protested in 2020-21 too and after many lives were lost, the government took back the three farm laws as demanded by the farmers," Sharad Pawar group spokesperson Clyde Crasto said in a statement, reported PTI.

The Union government's move to give Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, to Swaminathan was to divert the attention from its anti-farmer stance, he claimed, reported PTI.

If the BJP truly believes in the move to give the Bharat Ratna to Swaminathan, then it should also implement his MSP formula for the welfare of farmers, Crasto added, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule expressed gratitude to the Supreme Court for allowing them to get a new party name and symbol after the Election Commission decided to give the party's original name (NCP) and its 'clock' symbol to the Ajit Pawar-led faction, reported ANI.

Supriya Sule said she thanked the Supreme Court for being kind and fair to them, reported ANI.

"This is a democratic country. It is our right to have a party and a symbol... The party was formed by Sharad Pawar and was taken away from him... We went to the court... I thank the Supreme Court for being kind and very fair... I also thank the Election Commission," said Supriya Sule, reported ANI.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday launched his party's new symbol- 'man blowing turha'- from Chhatrapati Shivaji's Raigad Fort.

Pawar was carried on a palanquin up the Raigad Fort. Recently, the Election Commission of India allotted the new symbol of 'man blowing turha' to the party after deciding to give the party's original name (NCP) and its 'clock' symbol to the Ajit Pawar-led faction.

The symbol of Sharad Pawar's new party shows a man blowing a long, curved, trumpet-like instrument in the shape of a reverse 'C', decorated with a thread or string. The "turha" is also pronounced and written as "turhi", "turahi", or "turturi", and varies somewhat in form across regions in Maharashtra.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)