Over 100 cooperative sugar mills closed down during Pawar’s regime: Shah

Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday criticised the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar for drop in cooperative sugar mills from 200 to 101 during the latter’s tenure in the state government.

Speaking at a campaign rally for the assembly elections in western Maharashtra’s Sangli on Friday, he said, “Today I am here to ask you why so many cooperative sugar mills had to be closed down during Pawar regime. Whereas, prime minister Narendra Modi has removed income tax on sugar and allocated ₹15,000 crore for agricultural welfare.”

Addressing the rally for ruling Mahayuti alliance candidates Sudhir Gadgil and Sanjay Kaka Patil, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader promised further development for Maharashtra under the government.

Shah highlighted key achievements of the Modi administration, including an allocation of ₹10,15,900 crore to Maharashtra for various development projects. He pointed to the construction of Asia’s largest port in Wadwan and a new airport in Sangli. He also mentioned the electrification of railway lines in the region and the launch of two Vande Bharat trains.

He said, “A turmeric board has been created, and a branch will open in Sangli.” Under the current government, farmers receive ₹12,000 annually, which could increase to ₹15,000 if the Mahayuti is voted to power.

Shah promised healthcare benefits, including an additional ₹5 lakh coverage for senior citizens under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

The union minister expressed confidence that the Mahayuti alliance would secure victory in the upcoming Maharashtra elections. He urged voters to trust the leadership of Modi and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, promising progress and development for Maharashtra.

Article 370

Shah said opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Pawar, had opposed the scrapping of Article 370.

He said neither Rahul nor his future generations will be able to bring back Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The assembly of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday passed a resolution seeking restoration of the special status.

“From this land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, I am telling you Rahul baba that neither you nor your fourth generation will be able to restore Article 370. Every child of the country is ready to fight for Kashmir,” Shah said.

“When prime minister Narendra Modi took the decision to abrogate Article 370, I brought the bill (in Parliament) but Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and (MK) Stalin opposed the move. They said do not remove Article 370 as it would lead to bloodshed in the Valley. Forget rivers of blood, nobody dared to throw a stone,” he said.

During the “UPA government of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh”, terrorist attacks were frequent, but after Modi became PM, the incidents at Uri and Pulwama led to surgical strikes that wiped out terrorists in Pakistan, he said.

Ram Temple

Modi’s efforts led to the construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya which was being stalled by the Congress for the past 70 years, he said. In a swipe at the NCP (SP) chief, Shah said Sharad Pawar did not visit Ayodhya after the Ram temple was built as he was more worried about his vote bank.

Indian Constitution

Attacking Rahul for showing a copy of the Constitution at his rallies, Shah said the Constitution is not meant for pushing election agenda.

“The Constitution is about trust, but these people are seeking votes in the name of the Constitution and bluffing. Today, in one of the poll rallies, copies of the Constitution were distributed. The front cover was okay but inside pages were blank. Not a single word was printed on them. Gandhi has insulted the Constitution, insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar and people of India,” Shah said.

“Gandhi recently said the country does not need reservations. But as long as the Modi government is in power, no one has the guts to touch the Constitution. Reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs will remain the way it always was,” Shah asserted.

The Maharashtra Assembly elections are set for November 20, with the results expected on November 23. The opposition MVA coalition (comprising Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress) aims to regain power from the Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, BJP, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

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