‘Plight’ of farmers: NCP chief Sharad Pawar calls for jail bharo

He also stressed on the failure of the government to provide adequate financial and logistic support to agriculture, dairy and horticulture.

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NCP Chief Sharad Pawar (File photo)

To highlight the plight of the farmers of Osmanabad district in Marathwada, Sharad Pawar, the president of the Nationalist Congress Party has hit the streets after almost 35 years. The former agriculture minister will lead the party in issuing a threat to launch a “jail bharo” agitation from September 14 if the government does not pay heed to the farmers’ demands.

Addressing the farmers, Pawar on Friday said, “The state and the Central governments have failed to provide relief measures to the drought-hit farmers. If they don’t address our concerns, we will not only go to jail but also take the farm animals along. In Osmanabad alone, 88 farmers have committed suicide. Who is responsible?”

He also stressed on the failure of the government to provide adequate financial and logistic support to agriculture, dairy and horticulture.

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In retaliation, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “There is nothing wrong about a morcha. But Sharad Pawar should answer who is responsible for diverting the water from Osmanabad to other parts and the mismanagement in the district central-cooperative bank wrecking the lives of farmers.”

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Fadnavis was indirectly indicating how Osmanabad districts always was ruled by senior Pawar aide and relative Padmansinh Patil for last several decades. “My government has taken measures to reach out farmers by giving financial aide and interest free loans.” Our policies are not aimed at promoting any vested interests as was done by the Congress-NCP. The farmers were left out of credit disbursement, he added.

Sources said the last time Pawar led an agitation with was on December 7, 1980, against the Congress-led government.

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