Sharad Pawar slams Union govt over onion export duty, Manipur violence, 'misuse' of probe agencies

Sharad Pawar. File Pic

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government over various issues including the hiked export duty on onions, violence in Manipur and 'misuse' of central agencies against political opponents, reported news agency PTI.

He was speaking at a rally in Kolhapur, the home district of rebel NCP leader Hasan Mushrif who joined the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra last month.

Pawar's rally in Kolhapur was his third in the home districts of rebel NCP leaders. Earlier, he had held public meetings in Nashik and Beed, the respective home districts of Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde, both of whom have joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government.

"Farmers need to recover the money spent on growing a crop and also get paid for their efforts. If that is to happen, onions have to be exported across the world. (But) The Modi government has imposed a steep (export) duty of 40 per cent, and now Indian onions do not get buyers (abroad). This led to a fall in onions prices (within India)," Pawar said.

As agriculture minister (in the Congress-led UPA government between 2004 and 2014) he never imposed export duty on onions and always ensured that the crop was exported, he said.

"This government's policy is to come in the way of whatever farmers produce," Pawar alleged.

Farmers and traders have been protesting since Monday in Nashik district of Maharashtra against the Centre's decision to impose a 40 per cent export duty on onions, which they claim will hinder exports and bring down the prices in the domestic markets.

Pawar also attacked the Narendra Modi government for bringing in contentious farm laws which were withdrawn after massive protests, and said no government has insulted farmers more than the present dispensation.

Two women were paraded naked amid the violence that broke out in Manipur in May, but those who wield power did not use it to save them, he said.

Investments meant for Maharashtra are going to Gujarat which is depriving the youth in Maharashtra of employment opportunities, Pawar claimed.

Alleging that "power is being used to oppress opponents," he cited the examples of his party colleagues Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh and Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut.

All three were jailed in various cases and are currently out on bail.

Taking a swipe at Hasan Mushrif, whose properties were raided by the Enforcement Directorate, Pawar said the people who worked with him should have some self-respect.

"The women of the family said 'shoot us instead....we are ready for that.' If a woman can say this...I have not heard the head of the family saying this," Pawar said, in an apparent reference to Mushrif.

After Mushrif's residence was raided, his wife had told reporters that the authorities should "shoot us instead".

Pawar lauded the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists for the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission on the Moon.

Be it Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee or curent Prime Minister Narendra Modi, everyone took efforts to make ISRO a leading space organisation in the world, the NCP chief said.

(With inputs from PTI)