Sharad Pawar must step down from Centre and work for farmers: Uddhav Thackeray

YAVATMAL(MAHARASHTRA): Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray has urged Union Agriculture Minister and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar to resign from the Union cabinet and come to the state to protect the interest of farmers reeling under drought.

After visiting the house of farmer Gajanan Ghotekar, who recently committed suicide and blamed Congress and NCP for the plight of farmers in a suicide note, Thackeray told mediapersons here yesterday that he has appealed to the farmers not to vote for NCP and Congress.

Uddhav met the family members of the deceased and though he did not offer any instant financial assistance, he promised to bear the expenses of his kids' education.

The suicide note had attracted media attention after Sena chief Bal Thackeray criticised the government regarding the issue, in his party mouthpiece 'Saamna'.

"Sharad Pawar ignores the farmers of Maharashtra while in the state but arranges farmers' rally in New Delhi and speaks in favour of them," Thackarey said, adding that Pawar should resign from his ministerial post first and take the farmers' issues to the street and fight for their cause.

On the controversial lower Paingananga irrigation project in Yavatmal, he said he had received a representation from anti-project activists and added that he has instructed the local Shiv Sena leaders to conduct an on-the-spot study and report back to him.

On the Jaitapur Power Project, Thackeray said he was not against any project, but stands with the affected people as the energy generated from the project would be sold elsewhere which is not acceptable.

"Those who are lobbying for the project in Jaitapur at the cost of the poor people, they should set up the project elsewhere and we would buy the power from there," he said.