Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call that country needs to be protected against 'andolan jeevi' or those who survive on protests, former union minister and NCP Chief Sharad Pawar fired a fresh salvo against the ruling party at the Centre and accused a section of BJP’s involvement in the violence that erupted in Delhi on January 26, to defame the ongoing farmers’ agitation. He strongly defended the protesting farmers saying that they have been demanding due price for the agricultural produce.
"Farmers have been sitting on the Delhi border for the last two and a half months for their demands. They want the central government to come up with a prudent policy on prices. The peculiarity of this movement is that the farmers have not taken the law into their own hands anywhere," said Pawar. He further claimed that no genuine farmer caused trouble during the Delhi agitation. "Farmers were not responsible for the violence in Delhi. However, some forces and especially a section of the BJP were involved to discredit the farmers’ agitation," he noted. Pawar was speaking at Solapur.
"It is the farmers who produce wheat and rice. Today, the Food Corporation of India is the body to procure that crop. This body should take all the responsibility for the procurement of agricultural produce which was not in between done properly," said Pawar. He reminded that during the UPA government the focus was laid on the timely procurement of produce.
Pawar suggested that farmers should pay attention to innovation and improvement in quality. While doing all this, he said the farmers should pay adequate attention on how the land will be maintained.
Pawar had recently blamed the BJP led government by calling agitating farmers as "Khalistani" and terrorists. He had lashed out at the government for putting nails on the streets to stop protesters from entering in Delhi.
Pawar had suggested that PM Modi and senior ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari should come forward and speak with the agitating farmers to find a solution.
