Pawar blames SS-BJP govt for power crisis in Maha

Pawar said that during his tenure as chief minister the Dabhol project was conceived and when Sena-BJP came to power they scrapped it. The electricity generation which was expected could not materialise and that was the beginning of the power crisis.

The flip flop by the Sena-BJP alliance on Dabhol plant not only affected the power scenario but also gave a setback to foreign investments as many potential investors felt Maharashtra not a safe state for investment,the way Dabhol was treated,Pawar alleged.

Lauding the efforts of the Congress-led government and the leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,Pawar said it has taken a historic decision of loan waiver to the tune of Rs 71,000 crore.

The rate of interest on crop loan which was 12 per cent during (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee government has been brought down to seven per cent and efforts are on to bring it further down to four per cent.

The Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra followed the UPA government in extending benefits of loan waiver to a section of farmers who were left behind by the central benefits,Pawar said.

The Manmohan Singh government recognised the Inter-District Irrigation project at Gosikhurd as a national project thereby allocating maximum funds to complete the pending work. It will help irrigate Nagpur,Bhandara and Chandrapur districts in Vidarbha,Pawar said.

A farmer friendly,UPA government raised the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat,paddy and cotton to benefit farmers. Wheat MSP,which was Rs 490 during the time of Vajpayee government,was enhanced to Rs 1,080 and that of paddy raised to Rs 980. Similarly cotton prices prevailed at around Rs 2,700 per quintal,he said.

Taking a potshot at rebels,he said a new generation of rebels have cropped up during the elections and it was time to teach them a lesson.

He called on voters to exercise their franchise in favour of Congress-NCP alliance to strengthen their policies and to promote Gandhi-Nehru philosophy.

Pawar also addressed second meeting at Morshi where Harshwardhan Deshmukh is contesting as party candidate. His last meeting was in Badnera and after night halt,he would resume campaigning on Friday.