New Delhi: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention may help resolve the farmers’ crisis.
He asserted that if any senior BJP minister takes up on the farmers issue then the crisis is likely to be resolved, he added that he meant no disrespect to the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. Pawar also urged the farmers staging a sit in protest at Delhi borders to look for ways to end the deadlock with the Centre over the three agricultural laws.
“In my opinion, the central government should take an initiative and a senior-level minister should intervene,” he was quoted as saying by The Hindustan Times. “I don’t want to disrespect Narendra Singh Tomar but the Prime Minister or Union Defence Minister should intervene then the issue may be resolved.”
The senior leader criticised the police crackdown on farmers’ protest sites at the borders of the national capital. The protest sites have been heavily barricaded, with nails dug into the roads. At some places the government has suspended internet.
“It has never happened in the country since independence... The government took extreme measures which also shows their attitude. Whenever farmers come out on streets like this then the government is expected to show some consonance,” he was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Further, Pawar took a dig at the Centre for saying that global criticism of the clampdown on the farmers’ protest was an attempt to intervene in India’s internal matters.
“I remember when the Prime Minister was on a US tour, he declared that Trump will be elected for a second term and a few sections appreciated him,” he said. “Today, people from abroad are also reacting the same way because of the same reason.”
