MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led state and central governments during his rally in Nashik, accusing them of neglecting farmers’ issues, including rising suicides and crashing crop prices.
Pawar claimed that in Maharashtra alone, more than 2,000 farmers had ended their lives in the past two months due to the farm crisis. He said torrential rains had damaged over 30 lakh acres of standing crops, leaving farmers devastated. “The incumbent government needed to be serious about the farmers and its people issues; otherwise, we have seen in Nepal where an incumbent government has been thrown out while a new one has come in. Without any delay, the drought has to be declared by the Maharashtra government if they are really wise and serious,” he said.
Drawing parallels with recent political developments in Nepal, Pawar warned the ruling dispensation in Maharashtra to take lessons from events in the neighbouring country. “I request, Devabhau, please check what is happening in our neighboring country Nepal. For the last eight days, it has been in the news over people's outcry. One government has gone and another has come in Nepal. I do not want to go in deep what exactly happened there, but if the incumbent government is wise enough in Maharashtra, they should learn a lesson from this and do something for the farmers whose backbone has been damaged in torrential rain with damage to standing crops,” he said.
Taking a swipe at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s extensive publicity campaign, Pawar said, “Deabhau, giving an advertisement with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's photograph is one thing, but following the traits of Shivaji Maharaj is equally important. Shivaji Maharaj never left the farmers in trouble; the same should happen if we are true followers of Shivaji Maharaj.”
He also pointed out the crisis faced by onion and cotton farmers. “The central government imposed a ban on the export of onions, so the onion prices crashed. Where will the farmers go now? If you continue to neglect the farmers, then we cannot remain as mute spectators. We cannot leave our farmers in a lurch. It is the duty of the central and state governments to find solutions and help the farmers. When we were in power, in a month's period, we waived off Rs 70,000 crore farmers' loan,” Pawar said.