Pawar ignored farmers’ issues, says Modi in Ahmednagar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a new facility at the Sai Baba temple in Shirdi and criticized the previous UPA government for alleged corruption. He also attacked NCP chief Sharad Pawar for neglecting farmers' issues. Modi's visit is significant ahead of the general elections next year.

MUMBAI: On his sixth visit to Maharashtra, since the BJP formed the government last year with the breakaway faction of Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the state-of-the-art facility for devotees to the Sai Baba temple in Shirdi, and launched into a scathing attack on the previous UPA government for alleged “misappropriation of lakhs and crores of rupees”.

**EDS: IMAGE VIA PMO** Ahmednagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs ‘Jal Pujan’ of Nilwande Dam with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, in Ahmednagar district, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. (PTI Photo) (PTI10_26_2023_000156B) (PTI)

He directed his ire towards NCP chief Sharad Pawar, claiming he had turned a blind eye to farmers’ issues, while addressing a rally in Kopargaon, Ahmednagar, on Thursday. Although he was in the city to also launch a slew of projects, cumulatively worth over ₹14,000 crore (see box), the visit is significant, ahead of the general elections next year.

Kopargaon is dominated by the sugar cooperative sector. Modi said in the last seven years, his government has distributed ₹13.5 lakh crore towards minimum support price for agriculture produce in the country. “A senior leader from Maharashtra was agriculture minister in the central government. I respect him, but what has he done for the farmer? Their government paid ₹3.5 lakh crore towards minimum support price for their produce. Our government has distributed ₹13.50 lakh crore to the farmers in seven years through minimum support price,” Modi said.

He emphasised farmers could not get their dues without the help of agents and that their payments would be delayed for years. He said that his government has given fair remunerative price of ₹315 per quintal to farmers. Also, in the last nine years the government had purchased ethanol worth ₹70,000 crore, which benefitted the sugarcane farmers. He added that his government had strengthened the cooperative societies by constituting over 7500 producers’ organisations representing farmers.

While inaugurating the left canal of the Nilawande dam, he pointed out how the project was delayed despite its approval in 1970. “They deprived the farmers of water for five decades. The left canal was completed by our government and the right canal will also be completed soon,” he said, adding the government has funded 26 irrigation projects in the state.

He said during the UPA regime under Manmohan Singh “we used to hear figures of lakhs and crores linked with corruption and misappropriation”, as against ₹70,000 crore allocated by the present government to treat the poor under Ayushman Bharat scheme. He further broke down the numbers to underscore that the government had spent ₹4 lakh crore on food grains distributed to BPL families since the outbreak of Covid and an equal amount was spent to build their homes. “This is six times over what was spent before 2014,” he said.

He chose not to comment on the ongoing Maratha reservation agitation but insisted that his government was working to help the country out of poverty.

Earlier, he visited the Sai Baba temple. He was accompanied by Governor Ramesh Bais, chief minister Eknath Shinde and his two deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, revenue minister and BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil.

In response to Modi’s charge against Pawar, state NCP chief Jayant Patil released a video of Pawar being felicitated in Delhi in December 2015, on his 75th birthday, when the PM had applauded him for his obsession for the welfare of farmers.

“What a contradiction. The PM who said Pawarsaheb has not done anything in 60 years for farmers had himself spoken about his work on agriculture,” Patil posted on X.

Sachin Sawant, state Congress general secretary, said, “Instead of cursing us, the PM should say what he has done in the last nine years. Why have farmers’ incomes not been doubled and why they had to resort to the historic protest that claimed hundreds of lives.”