Uddhav's Marathwada tour shows his fake concern for farmers: Bawankule

Mumbai, Nov 5 (PTI) Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday criticised Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's ongoing tour of Marathwada region, calling it an "out-of-season political exercise" with an eye on elections.

Thackeray, who never visited farmers during his tenure as chief minister, is now touring the region only to attack the government, he said.

"Uddhav Thackeray doesn't even know the difference between various types of aid given to flood-affected people. It is an out-of-season exercise. He never studied how compensation is provided for damage to houses or livestock. His current tour is only to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis," Bawankule told reporters in Mumbai.

Responding to criticism over a Central team inspecting crop damage in Solapur at night using torches, Bawankule defended the officials.

He said the team had been working throughout the day and continued their inspection at the farmers' request.

"Should they have gone back without completing their work? They must be congratulated for their dedication," he said.

The minister further said the state government had announced the largest-ever relief package of Rs 32,000 crore for affected farmers, adding that funds have already been credited to their accounts.

He said some farmers were left out due to KYC issues, but the money had reached all district collectors, and no farmer would be deprived of assistance.

"The government is working in mission mode," he added.

Bawankule said the government's focus was on ensuring genuine farmers benefited from the debt waiver scheme.

"We are giving loan waivers to needy farmers, not the wealthy ones. District-wise data has been sought to ensure that once loans are waived, farmers do not fall into debt again," he said.

Taking a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Bawankule said the opposition had not raised a single constructive issue in the past nine months.

"Rahul Gandhi is playing the same old, worn-out cassette, attacking the Election Commission, various commissions, and the Supreme Court to create confusion. He knows well that the NDA under Modi will remain in power till 2047, and that is why he is inventing issues like vote theft to mislead people," he said. PTI ND NSK