Maha governor has time to meet Kangana, not farmers: Pawar

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of turning a blind eye to the farmers’ protest in Delhi and asked, “Do they belong to Pakistan?” He also slammed Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for not meeting the farmer’s delegation in Mumbai.

Addressing a huge rally held at the historic Azad Maidan on Monday, Mr Pawar said, “For the past 60 days, farmers from UP, Haryana and Punjab are protesting near Delhi braving the cold, the sun and rains. But has the PM enquired about them? They (Centre) say they are only Punjab farmers. Are they from Pakistan? They are our own.”

The veteran leader also lashed out at Mr Koshyari saying Maharashtra has never seen such a governor before. “He has the time to meet Kangana (Ranaut), but not farmers. It was the moral duty of the governor to meet the farmers, who were seeking to submit a memorandum to him against the farm laws. But he did not even show the courtesy to remain in Raj Bhavan,” he said.

However, the governor's office clarified that the farmer leaders had been informed that Mr Koshyari, having the additional charge of Goa governor, had a pre-arranged programme to address the neighbouring state’s Assembly and that the principal secretary would receive the delegation.

Mr Pawar also slammed the way the three agricultural laws, against which the farmers are protesting, were passed in Parliament apparently without much discussion. The Modi's government, he said, did not listen to the Opposition when it

demanded a debate, even though all top leaders were present in Parliament at the time.

"We said 'send it (the laws) to a select committee where people of all parties are there'. But the Central government said, 'No discussion. We came with this and we will pass it without discussion. You all have come here to support'," Mr Pawar recalled, pointing at how the farmers have turned the tables on the government. "Today every farmer is saying first repeal these laws and then we can discuss."

Farmers from various districts of Maharashtra had gathered at Azad Maidan in Mumbai to protest against the Centre’s new farm laws and to express solidarity with the farmers in Delhi demanding a complete repeal of the three farm laws, terming them as ‘anti-farmer.’