Keypoints:
- NCP President Sharad Pawar on Thursday said if farmers leave peaceful means of agitation it would lead to a major crisis in the country and the BJP government will be responsible for it.
- Pawar, who was Union Agriculture Minister from 2004-2014, accused the government of not willing to solve the farmers’ protest issue.
- He warned that the end of the government which is not sensitive is near sooner or later.
On Thursday, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central Government’s “insensitive treatment of farmers” was pushing the country towards a crisis. Addressing the reporters, Pawar said, “Farmers have been protesting peacefully so far. But if they adopt any other means other than peace, then a serious crisis in the country might occur. The BJP-led Central Government will have to take responsibility for such a situation.”
“There is no sensitivity in the Government. Even in British rule, people were not stopped by putting barriers of nails if they come on the streets to raise issues,” added Pawar.
Blaming the Centre for insensitive treatment towards farmers, the NCP chief further alleged that the representatives from different parties were prevented by the administration from meeting the farmers. Pawar who was Union Agriculture Minister from 2004-2014, accused the government of not willing to solve the farmers’ protest issue.
“They don’t want to solve the problem. I am worried that today, if the farmers, who are peacefully agitating, take some other path, then this would lead to a major crisis. And the BJP government has to take responsibility for this. There are many issues but today those who are in power are not sensitive,” he said.
“They (the opposition MPs) had gone there peacefully just to check the well-being of farmers but even they were not allowed to go. If this is the case in democracy then they (the government) have to pay a heavy price today or tomorrow,” he said.
Pawar also attacked the government for not allowing Opposition MPs to visit the protesting farmers at Ghazipur. Pawar’s daughter and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule was among the Opposition lawmakers.
Pawar was among the Opposition leaders to visit President Ram Nath Kovind in December to seek repeal of the three contentious farm laws.
