Sharad Pawar Criticises PM Modi, Claims Farmer Suicides Have Doubled Under BJP Rule

Sharad Pawar/PTI

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of failing to fulfil his promise to double farmers' income. Speaking at a rally in Barshi, Maharashtra, Pawar claimed that instead of increasing farmers' income, the BJP government's tenure has seen a doubling of farmer suicides, reported PTI.

"The prime minister had promised to double the income of farmers, but instead, farmer suicides have doubled," he charged.

According to the report, Pawar argued that farmers are struggling with inadequate prices for their produce, leading to rising debt levels. He called for a change in government, emphasising the need for a regime that prioritises the interests of farmers, youth, and women.

"The BJP governments at the Centre and the state haven't used their power to reduce the hardships of farmers and create employment opportunities for the youth. You will see youth in distress because of the lack of jobs. We have to change the government," the former Union agriculture minister told the PTI.

According to the report, he highlighted the distress among young people due to the lack of jobs and stressed the importance of addressing these issues.

Pawar also noted that despite the BJP's slogan of "400 paar," the party failed to secure 300 seats in the recent Lok Sabha elections and had to rely on support from parties in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar to form the government, the PTI report stated. He concluded by advocating for the reduction of farmers' debt burden, referencing his past actions as Agriculture Minister when he implemented loan waivers for farmers.

"It could form the government with the help of parties from Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. The need of the hour is to reduce the debt burden on farmers, and hence, loans should be waived," he said.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray accused Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and former Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray of attempting to use the Maratha quota stir to spark riots, particularly in the Marathwada region, ahead of the state Assembly elections in October-November.

According to news agency reports, during a news conference in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Thackeray said that Uddhav and Pawar are exploiting the Manoj Jarange-led quota movement as a cover for caste politics. "Using his agitation as a shield, people like Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray are doing politics in Marathwada," he said.