Sharad Pawar slams Union govt over onion export duty, Manipur violence

Nationalist Congress Party NCP president Sharad Pawar on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Partyled 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 PTIHe 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 monthPawars 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 SenaBJP governmentFarmers 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 saidAs agriculture minister in the Congressled UPA government between 2004 and 2014 he never imposed export duty on onions and always ensured that the crop was exported he saidThis governments policy is to come in the way of whatever farmers produce Pawar allegedFarmers and traders have been protesting since Monday in Nashik district of Maharashtra against the Centres 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the domestic marketsPawar also attacked the Narendra Modi government for bringing in contentious farm laws which were withdrawn after massive protests and said no government has insulted farmers more than the present dispensationTwo women were paraded naked amid the violence that broke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 saidInvestments meant for Maharashtra are going to Gujarat which is depriving the youth in Maharashtra of employment opportunities Pawar claimedAlleging 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 RautAll three were jailed in various cases and are currently out on bailTaking a swipe at Hasan Mushrif whose properties were raided by the Enforcement Directorate Pawar said the people who worked with him should have some selfrespectThe women of the family said shoot us insteadwe are ready for that If a woman can say thisI have not heard the head of the family saying this Pawar said in an apparent reference to MushrifAfter Mushrifs residence was raided his wife had told reporters that the authorities should shoot us insteadPawar lauded the Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO scientists for the successful landing of the Chandrayaan3 mission on the MoonBe 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 saidWith inputs from PTI