Satara (Maharashtra), Aug 25 : Apparently targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its alleged role in dividing his party, Nationalist Congress party (NCP-Sharad Pawar group) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said here in Maharashtra he would teach a lesson to those dividing political parties and creating distance between people.
Addressing a public meeting at Dahiwadi in Phaltan tehsil of Satara district this afternoon after inaugurating the new building of Dahiwadi Muncipal council, Pawar said his party would not support those who go against the interests of farmers.
Pawar was apparently referring to the farmers’ agitation in Nasik on Thursday against the lower auction price of onions. The farmers put up a road block, and stopped the auction demanding the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) ensure higher prices in the auction by Monday.
The veteran leader said the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra did not impose any tax on onion. “The present (Eknath Shinde) government has no time to look into the issues of farmers, but it was using its power to break political parties and creating distance between the people. At the same time, the BJP-led central government was trying to split political parties,” he said.
Led by Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar, nine NCP MLAs had crossed over to the NDA last month and joined the Shinde government.
Pawar said the country’s opposition parties should stand unitedly and strongly against the BJP. He sought the support of the labourers and youths towards that end.
Criticising prime minister Narendra Modi, Pawar said that opposition parties requested him to pay attention to the Manipur issue, but he took no notice of it.
