With unseasonal rains over parts of Maharashtra aggravating farmers’ woes, Leader of the Opposition and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on March 7 hit out at the ruling Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government’s alleged apathy towards the farmer community.
Unseasonal showers and hailstorms have ravaged cropland in a number of districts in Maharashtra, particularly the northern area, including parts of Nashik and Dhule districts, as well as in western Maharashtra, including Pune and Thane districts.
Targeting Mr. Shinde and Mr. Fadnavis for not prioritising farmers’ problems, Mr. Pawar said the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister must take responsibility for the continuing farmer suicides in Maharashtra.
“This government is unwilling to talk about the plight of farmers. They haven’t received previous compensation and now, unseasonal rains have put them in dire straits. They are being forced to take their own lives. This proves the utter ineffectuality of this government. Recently, more than 100 farmers had written to the President of India expressing the wish to take their lives as they were not getting adequate compensation from the loss of their crops. Who will take this responsibility?” Mr. Pawar said, addressing a rally in Ahmednagar district.
Remarking that the Shiv Sena-BJP government was “intoxicated with power”, Mr. Pawar urged the people present to vote out the Shinde-Fadnavis government in the forthcoming elections.
Conduct damage assessments: Shinde
Meanwhile, Mr. Shinde directed District Collectors in affected areas to immediately conduct panchnamas (damage assessments) of destroyed croplands.
“Unseasonal rains have affected crops in many districts of the State. Farmers should be given immediate relief. This government is fully behind the distressed farmers. In this regard, the Chief Minister has spoken to the Chief Secretary and directed Collectors to conduct panchnamas,” a release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) stated.
According to the CMO, unseasonal rains accompanied by stormy winds have affected crops in Thane, Palghar, Washim, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad district) and Paithan districts, among other areas.
Earlier in the day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning for thunderstorms and moderate rains at isolated places in Mumbai, Pune, and Ahmednagar districts, while showers over Mumbai and Pune cities brought relief from the heat of the past weeks.
