Pune: The third edition of the Paani Foundation’s Satyameva Jayate Water Cup turned into a forum for political sabre-rattling, with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray taking potshots at the erstwhile Congress-NCP government and the current dispensation. Mr. Thackeray targeted both governments over the State’s irrigation woes.
Addressing the gathering at the ceremony, he said, “If actor Aamir Khan is doing the drought-proofing work and spreading awareness about it, then the question arises as to what governments were doing all the while since Maharashtra became a State in 1960. Where did all the irrigation money go?” said the MNS chief, during his address at the third edition of the Water Cup award ceremony.
The event, held at the Balewadi stadium, was attended by ruling and Opposition party leaders including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, NCP’s Ajit Pawar, State Congress chief Ashok Chavan and senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil. Taking on Mr. Pawar, the MNS chief blamed successive governments for the situation. “However, this is not a podium for expressing political differences,” he said.
In his address, Mr. Pawar, without naming Mr. Thackeray, said, “Some people are mere experts at talking. They neither want to do anything nor have the urge to strive for anything… All they do is to play to the galleries.” While lavishing praise on the efforts of Aamir Khan and the Paani Foundation, the NCP leader stressed on the need to change farmers’ mindsets when it came to crop patterns.
He added, “There is a tendency among the State’s farmers to grow only cash crops like sugarcane or banana, which consume a lot of water…this is not sustainable in rain shadow areas and farmers end up paying a heavy price for this. The present government and the bureaucracy must try and alter this prevalent attitude.”
Mr. Pawar, as Deputy Chief Minister in the erstwhile Congress-NCP government, quit his post in September 2012 following allegations of massive irregularities during his stint as the State’s Water Resources Minister between 1999 and 2009.
Mr. Fadnavis, responding directly to Mr. Thackeray’s question, said, “It’s not the fault of the people that Maharashtra is not yet drought-proof. We have indulged in factionalism and one-upmanship at regional and State levels.”
Lauding the work done by the Paani Foundation, Mr. Fadnavis remarked that it had transcended political and class barriers by getting so many people involved in a critical project. “It is indeed praiseworthy that Aamir Khan has taken time off from his film career to focus on such pressing issues as water conservation and drought-proofing,” said Mr. Fadnavis.
Takewadi Andhali village in Satara’s Maan tehsil bagged the first prize,which included a cash reward of ₹75 lakh and a trophy. Bhandwali village, also in Satara’s Maan taluka shared the second prize along with Sindkhed village in Buldhana, which included a cash prize of ₹25 lakh each along with trophies for the winners.
Anandwadi village in Beed’s Ashti taluka and Umtha village in Nagpur’s Narkhed taluka shared the third prize, which included a cash reward of ₹10 lakh each with a trophy for each village. This year, 4,000 villages from 75 talukas participated in the Water Cup, up from 116 villages in three talukas in its first edition in 2016.
