No scope for confusion, MVA stands united: Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar said that the BJP needs to handle the Manipur crisis properly and provide relief to the distressed farmers. He said that he has already clarified his stand on aligning with the BJP.

Baramati (Maharashtra): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar, who earlier reiterated that he would not join the BJP under any circumstances, on Monday clarified that there was no confusion in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The parties have come together for a single cause and will fight for it together, Pawar said.

"The MVA stands united. There is no scope for any confusion. I had already clarified my stand and have again done so during my Solapur tour. It has been heard that Jayant Patil's (NCP chief) brother received an ED notice. After which, some of our colleagues joined the BJP," Pawar said.

Pawar said that the MVA meeting has been scheduled on August 31 and September 1 in Mumbai. It is being organised jointly by Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole.

Also, Pawar drew the state government's attention to the condition of distressed farmers saying though the tomato prices are soaring, the cultivators are suffering losses. He said that the farmers are in trouble as some of the areas witnessing less rainfall require re-sowing. Accusing the BJP-led government of torturing the farmers, he said that issues pertaining to the cultivators need to be addressed immediately.

Responding to media persons, Pawar said that former Maharashtra minister Nabab Malik is likely to be released from jail today. "I tried to contact his relatives yesterday and will meet him after he is released," Pawar added. Malik is in jail in a money laundering case since February 23, 2022.

The NCP supremo further said that the government needs to pay attention to the sufferings of the people of Manipur. "Manipur shares borders with China and it is alarming that the issue is not being addressed properly by the Centre. Despite our repeated demands for discussion on Manipur crisis, the issue found very little space in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech. The BJP is blaming the previous government for the violence in Manipur. But, it is the saffron party that has ruled the state for nine years," he said.