Maharashtra Facing Floods, Farmers In Trouble But No Sign Of Ministers, Says Sharad Pawar; Flays Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis Government

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Friday hit out at the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis dispensation in Maharashtra claiming there was no sign of a cabinet expansion even as the state faces a "flood situation".

Chief Minister Shinde must observe and learn from the visits of opposition leaders to various affected areas so that people get relief, he added.

"It is about a month now (the Shinde government was sworn in on June 30) but there is no sign of ministers. There is a flood situation in the state and farmers are in trouble. A team of ministers is necessary to work in such a situation," he told reporters.

"However, the chief minister-deputy chief minister are confident that they will run the government on their own, and, hence, there is no sign of a cabinet expansion," he added. Talking about tours of opposition leaders to affected areas, Pawar said the CM must observe and learn from them as these are not visits for "felicitations" but to understand the woes of the people.

"You can see the contradiction. The chief minister must learn something from this," he asserted. Queried on the longevity of the new government, Pawar claimed he was not an astrologer to predict such things but added that his party was ready for polls whenever they take place.

When people get to cast their votes, the scene will be different, Pawar said, adding that his party would keep a close watch on how the new government functions. The NCP supreme expressed concern that the Other Backward Classes (OBC) can be deprived of participation in power and administration if the OBC is not upheld.

On upcoming local body polls in the state, he said there was need for the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which comprises the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP, to fight it jointly. "If the alliance happens, then it would be good," the NCP chief said. 

(With PTI Inputs)