Sharad Pawar meets PM Modi to discuss farmers' issue

Pawar tweeted, "Met @PMOIndia Shri. Narendra Modi in Parliament today to discuss the issues of farmers in Maharashtra. This year the seasonal rainfall has created Havoc engulfing 325 talukas of Maharashtra causing heavy damage of crops over 54.22 lakh hectares of area."

The NCP chief also said he visited Nashik and Vidarbha to assess the situation in early November.

He tweeted, "To take a stock of this unprecedented situation and address the concerns of distressed farmers I had visited Nashik and Vidarbha in first half of November."

Pawar added in a following tweet, "This year the returning monsoon devastated almost every standing crop in major parts of Maharashtra. I brought to notice this alarming situation to the kind attention of Hon. PM."

The meeting took place two days after the Prime Minister praised the NCP along with Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for not venturing into the well of the parliament but maintaining their individual political growths.

Speaking on the 250th session of Rajya Sabha on Monday, the Prime Minister said, "Both NCP and BJD have never gone to the well of the House, and their politics have never stopped. Every political party including my party must learn from them." 

However, Pawar didn't say whether he discussed with Modi the Maharashtra government formation which is still in limbo even almost after a month since the state poll results were declared.

Maharashtra government crisis

Sharad Pawar kept all in guess work over his political move in Maharashtra after the Shiv Sena left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and intended to ally with the NCP and Congress.

The Sena left the BJP after its demands of 50:50 power share in the government and rotational Chief Ministership were turned down by the BJP, which had won 105 seats in the Maharashtra polls.

As no single party has the majority (145), the Sena, which has 56 seats, need to ally with the NCP and Congress that have 54 and 44 seats respectively to form the government.

Though last week Pawar said the government will soon be formed in Maharashtra, where the Presidential rule is currently in place, the NCP chief denied any talks with the Sena while talking to media on Monday prior to his meeting with Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi.

However, the Sena is hopeful that its government will be formed in an alliance with the NCP and Congress soon.

(Image Credit: NCP Twitter)