Sharad Pawar says BJP-led Centre to pay heavy price in Lok Sabha polls for inflation

Sharad Pawar/ File Pic

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar warned that the BJP-led government at the Centre will suffer electoral consequences in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections due to the surge in prices of essential commodities.

Pawar told reporters in Nashik that the government's decisions on onion exports, as well as its policies on ethanol and the sugar business, have sparked anger among farmers. He emphasised how these elements will harm the BJP's election prospects, reported PTI.

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"The rising prices of various daily use items, arbitrary policies related to onion, ethanol and sugar industry have upset the farming community in the state. The Union government will have to pay a heavy price for it in the upcoming parliamentary elections," he was quoted as saying in the PTI report.

According to the report, Pawar criticised the Centre's ban on onion exports and limits on the use of sugarcane juice for ethanol generation. He said that these policies had an impact not only on farmers but also on the broader inflationary trend.

Reportedly, regarding the seat-sharing arrangement between the three Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies and the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), Pawar indicated that discussions on the majority of Maharashtra's Lok Sabha seats have been completed. He stated that a few slots are reserved for VBA candidates to enable cooperative participation by the major parties.

Pawar emphasised the limited time left for campaigning ahead of the general elections, as well as the importance of MVA parties acting quickly. "As all of us are running against time, we three major parties of the MVA have started our campaign in the state. We have a very limited time in our hands ahead of the general elections," he said, per the PTI report.

Furthermore, Pawar accused the Union administration of using institutions such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to attack political opponents, citing the government's lack of significant achievements.

The NCP patriarch said, "The Union government has nothing to show in its performance to the people. Hence, it is misusing institutions like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to launch an attack on us.

With PTI inputs