Hitting out at the opposition BJP protests in Assembly, over former Congress president’s Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Veer Savarkar, the Swabhimani Paksha chief Raju Shetti on Monday said the issue was “utterly irrelevant” when compared to the rising number of farmer suicides and the problems facing them across the State.
The farmers’ leader, who is on a three-day tour of Marathwada, said that farmers’ questions were more pressing than a controversy over Savarkar and dubbed the BJP as an “irresponsible opposition” bent on stonewalling Assembly proceedings with scant regard to the existential plight of the farmer.
“At a time when there are so many pressing issues afflicting farmers – be it recompensing farmers reeling under the onslaught of unseasonal showers or farm loan waiver – the BJP is showing its apathy towards them by demanding an apology from Mr. Gandhi in the Assembly,” Mr. Shetti told The Hindu from Osmanabad.
“The winter session barely has six days to deal with business pertaining to compensation for farmers. But thanks to the BJP, precious time has been lost,” said Mr. Shetti, a former two-time MP from Hatkanangale in Kolhapur.
Speaking on the disgruntlement brewing within BJP ranks among its OBC leaders like Eknath Khadse and Pankaja Munde, Mr. Shetti said that apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, injustice was being meted out to leaders from every social section and community within the party, and not just the OBCs.
Meanwhile, echoing Mr. Shetti’s views, Congress MP in Rajya Sabha, Husain Dalwai, too said that BJP’s overreaction on the Savarkar issue was merely an attempt to divert focus from the real economic problems afflicting the country.
“Instead of tackling questions like unemployment and kickstarting business, the BJP is busy indulging in such issues of no importance,” said Mr. Dalwai, speaking at an event in Pune.
