Pune, Oct 17 (IANS) Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar)Working President and MP Supriya Sule said that while farmers in the state are reeling under a severe drought, the financial aid of Rs 5,000 announced by the Maharashtra government is nothing short of a mockery of the farmers.
Following the Central scheme, the state government had decided to provide Rs 6,000 annually under the ‘Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi’ scheme. The last instalment of this scheme was credited to accounts on January 13, 2026.
However, the government has still not disbursed the previous Rs 4,000 due for the current financial year. Depriving farmers of their rightful Rs 4,000 is a grave injustice against them, Sule stated.
Speaking to reporters, Sule said that as highlighted by respected Sharad Pawar in his letter, farmers should receive direct compensation of Rs 1 lakh per hectare.
Furthermore, the previous Rs 4,000 along with the new Rs 5,000—totalling at least Rs 9,000—should be credited to their accounts immediately.
While the government claims that the state treasury is empty when it comes to helping farmers, new luxury cars worth Rs 18 crore are being purchased for ministers, she added.
Sule pointed out a major discrepancy in voter data, stating, “In my own Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, there were 25 lakh voters. Shockingly, 700,000 voters suddenly vanished, bringing the count down to 19 lakh. In the Khadakwasla Assembly constituency, the voter count dropped drastically from 500,000 to 250,000. First, 50,000 voters were artificially added, and then 2.5 lakh voters were slashed. Who are these missing voters, and why is the Election Commission hiding this information?”
Sule asserted, “I have been elected from Baramati, yet I demand an inquiry into myself and my constituency. We do not want to pass by copying; we want to win through hard work.”
Commenting on superstition, she said that the Anti-Superstition Act was passed collectively by everyone, and if a cabinet minister openly promotes superstition, it constitutes a serious offence under the law. Instead of shielding such ministers through political ‘washing machines’, the Chief Minister should take immediate legal action against them, she demanded.
Further, Sule said that the INDIA Bloc and her party fully support anyone protesting peacefully and within the framework of the Constitution.
“Are the Intelligence Bureau, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the banking system in the country sleeping?” she questioned.
She noted that she is herself a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on FCRA, and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had dismissed four of its own senior officers due to malpractices within the FCRA mechanism—a truth known to the nation.
Sule announced that no Diwali celebrations would be held in the Pawar family this year due to the tragic loss of a key pillar and brother of the family, Ajit Pawar.
“Even though it is the children’s first Diwali, we will not celebrate any festival. On one hand, we have suffered a massive personal loss, and on the other hand, the farmers and hardworking masses to whom we owe our existence are burning in the fires of drought and inflation. Therefore, neither any political Padwa nor Diwali will be celebrated in Baramati this year,” she said.
–IANS
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