Malegaon (Maharashtra): Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday took a dig at the former Union minister and NCP-SP president Sharad Pawar, saying that just doing marketing is not adequate to become leader, and groundwork is also necessary.
“Pawar Saheb, you were Agriculture Minister for 10 years. At that time, you had the cooperative sector. What did you do for the sugar factories and the cooperative movement in Maharashtra? What have you done for farmers?” he asked.
HM Shah said this while speaking at a cooperative conference. He listed out a slew of works done by the BJP-led government at the Centre for the cooperative sector.
“Our government has done the work of reducing the tax of Rs 46,000 crore on cooperative sugar factories in Maharashtra. The government has given loans to cooperative sugar mills. Besides, these mills have become revenue-earning ventures due to the ethanol blending initiative. The computerisation of primary agricultural cooperative societies has been done on a large scale.
He clarified that he has not come here to speak about politics, but he said Sharad Pawar should give an account of the work he did during his 10-year ministership.
“It is not adequate to become a leader by doing marketing, but it is necessary to work on the ground
“Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the slogan of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan, Narendra Modi gave the slogan of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan and Jai Vigyan. If the cooperatives are run by applying science, they will certainly benefit,” the Minister of Co-operation said.
He said that due to the soil testing initiative undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, the farmers have benefitted as they were earlier doing the traditional farming.
HM Shah also referred to the state of the art soil testing laboratory inaugurated in Malegaon saying that the farmers should take its advantage.
The Union Minister also asked the promoter of the laboratory to work on organic farming assuring the Central assistance for the same.
HM Shah’s dig at Sharad Pawar comes days after he had recently claimed that Maharashtra’s grand victory of BJP-led MahaYuti has brought the country’s politics back on track as it has buried the politics of betrayal of Sharad Pawar.
“Sharad Pawar had rebelled in 1978. The people of Maharashtra have taught him a lesson for the politics of betrayal that he had practiced at that time,” he said.
However, Sharad Pawar replied to HM Shah’s criticism saying that none of his predecessors were deported from their respective states or faced externment.
“The dignity of the Home Minister’s post should be maintained. Till now many legendary leaders, who held the home ministry, passed away,” he commented.
(IANS)
