Maharashtra polls: Govt not concerned about farmers' woes, must be removed from power, says Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar. File Pic

The ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra must be removed from power as it is not concerned about the suffering of farmers due to drop in prices for crops, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Sunday, reported the PTI.

Addressing a rally in Gangapur in Aurangabad district ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly election 2024, Sharad Pawar said that the prices for crops like sugarcane, soybean and jowar have plummeted.

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"Farmers who quench the hunger of the country are in distress, but the ruling parties are not concerned. Such people have no right to be in power. They must be unseated. In the last nine months 950 farmers have committed suicide. This is because they cannot recover capital investment, leading to burden of loans," he said, as per the PTI.

When the NCP-Congress was in power in Maharashtra, farm loans of Rs 71,000 crore were waived, and there was need for another round of waiver urgently, he said.

But the Union government is not bothered, Pawar asserted.

In Gangapur, BJP's sitting MLA Prashant Bamb is pitted against NCP (SP) candidate Satish Chavan.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday mocked the BJP over the abrogation of Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare how many Kashmiri Pandits could go back to their native Valley after the provision ceased to exist, reported the PTI..

Addressing a rally in Sangola in Solapur district, Uddhav Thackeray also slammed the PM for speaking first about Article 370 during his Maharashtra assembly poll speeches instead of problems of farmers that have not been resolved by the Centre.

The BJP has routinely claimed the scrapping of Article 370, on August 5, 2019, has brought peace to the restive erstwhile state and has also given benefits of reservations to Dalits, tribals and OBCs.

Uddhav Thackeray said Union Home Minister Amit Shah was suffering "memory loss" for claiming he was sitting with those who had opposed the abrogation of Article 370.

"He forgets that I was with them in support of the decision. Instead of spying on me, tell people of Maharashtra and the country how many Kashmiri Pandits have returned to their homes in Kashmir Valley. When they (Kashmiri Pandits) fled their homes, no one knew Modi and Shah, and it was Balasaheb Thackeray who gave them shelter in Maharashtra," the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said.

"Balasaheb was not even PM. How many years have passed since that decision. How many Kashmiri Pandits have you been able to relocate to the Valley," he said in a swipe at PM Modi.

He said PM Modi and Amit Shah speak of Article 370 and Ram Temple, while people of Maharashtra want employment.

Was Shiv Sena not with the BJP when the Ram Temple was being built, Thackeray asked.

(with PTI inputs)