New Delhi: In a charged political climate, a delegation of Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) MPs led by Supriya Sule met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Sunday.
According to the MPs, the delegation raised Maharashtra’s concerns over heavy rainfall and flooding, drought conditions, and sought greater central assistance through disaster relief funding. They also urged the Centre to confer the Bharat Ratna on social reformers Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Savitribai Phule and Anna Bhau Sathe.
After the meeting, MP Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke said the delegation requested a waiver of farmers’ crop loans, citing that compensation for crop losses due to excessive rainfall had not been provided so far. The MPs also pressed for setting up cancer hospitals in every district of Maharashtra.
However, political circles suggested a wider backdrop to the outreach. With proposals such as Lok Sabha constituency delimitation and the women’s reservation bill expected to be introduced in Parliament, the BJP is said to be seeking support from the eight MPs of Sharad Pawar’s party. Reports said the Pawar camp has placed its own conditions, and a clearer picture is expected in the next couple of days.
