Uddhav visited farmers reluctantly, didn't offer them any support: Shinde

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nov 12 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday alleged that Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray visited flood-hit farmers in the Marathwada region reluctantly and didn’t offer them any help.

Addressing a rally in Parbhani, Shinde said former chief minister Thackeray had failed to deliver substantive benefits to the common people while in power.

"Leaders like him (Uddhav) have started touring after I gave an 'injection'. If you have nothing to give, why did you go and meet the farmers? You could have taken at least a few packets of biscuits with you. A true leader stands with the people during problems", Shinde said, referring to Thackeray's tour of Marathwada region last week, during which he met distressed agriculturists.

The dry Marathwada region was battered by extended wet spells during the monsoon season, causing widespread destruction of crops and houses in rural areas.

Shinde recalled the aid extended to farmers by the Shiv Sena, headed by him.

"We went to the doorstep of affected farmers. Uddhav never visited common people when he was chief minister, and now he is defaming the government. He didn't extend any assistance to farmers when he was in power", the Deputy CM said.

Shinde said the Mahayuti government is committed to providing relief to farmers, including loan waivers, and referred to a relief package worth Rs 32,000 crore announced by the state government.

He dismissed Thackeray's call for a "votebandi" (voting ban) against the Mahayuti allies during the upcoming elections to local bodies as political posturing.

"Congress was involved in a string of scams when it was in power till 2014. It was the NDa government that paved the path of development in India. We are not scamsters, we are taking Maharashtra forward", Shinde added. PTI AW NSK