Shinde shares dais with Pawar at VSI event, says NCP chief is a guiding force

Shinde – who decided to walk out with a majority of MLAs and MPs of the erstwhile Shiv Sena in June last year, leading to the collapse of the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi government — said Pawar is one of the tallest leaders in the state and the country. Pawar has been a guiding force in the cooperative movement, said the chief minister.

“No one can ignore the importance of Pawar and we always take his guidance…,” he said.

“Pawar always has the betterment of the state in his heart… we have to take advantage of his knowledge and experience in the cooperative and agricultural sector,” said Shinde.

Speaking on the occasion, Pawar said the need of the hour is to focus on the production of products other than sugar to strengthen sugar factories and make them financially strong. “Additional sugar should be used for ethanol production,” he said.

Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the event, Shinde said when the NCP chief was the Union agriculture minister, he introduced several reforms in the sector and his contribution in the cooperative sector was immense. “I spoke what is true,” he said.

Shinde also refuted criticism from the opposition about his recent trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos to attract investments for the state, saying his “actions will speak for themselves”. He claimed the criticism was from people who have precious little to add to public dialogue.

The chief minister said during his maiden visit to Davos, he was successful in attracting investment to the state. However, opposition parties have claimed that the Memorandums of Understanding inked during his visit to WEF were with companies that already have a presence in Maharashtra.

“Those who are making these allegations have nothing else to do. Maharashtra’s image as a good investment destination is well known,” said Shinde.

With inputs from PTI