Amit Shah's remarks on Maha sugar units devoid of fact: Dy CM

Maharashtra deputy Chief MinisterAjit Pawar on Sunday said Union Home Minister Amit Shahsclaim that sugar cooperatives held by BJP leaders are beingvictimised by the state government was devoid of facts.Speaking after inaugurating a private medical collegein Kankavli in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra earlier inthe day, Shah also said, If we would have followed your path,your party would have lost its relevance.Many of us are associated with sugar factories andwhy will we ourselves cause trouble in these units.

Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said Union Home Minister Amit Shah'sclaim that sugar cooperatives held by BJP leaders are beingvictimised by the state government was ''devoid of facts''.

Speaking after inaugurating a private medical collegein Kankavli in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra earlier inthe day, Shah also said, ''If we would have followed your path,your party would have lost its relevance''.

''Many of us are associated with sugar factories andwhy will we ourselves cause trouble in these units. A personshould speak what sounds believable. There is no such(victimisation). A policy has been in place regarding sugarfirms,'' Pawar told reporters.

When asked about Shah's remarks that he never made anypromise to erstwhile ally Shiv Sena on sharing the post ofchief minister after the 2019 Assembly polls, the NCP leadersaid that raising an old issue will not make it new.

''They (Sena and BJP) only knew what had happenedbetween them. What can I say? I am not an astrologer. I didn'tknow what happened,'' said Pawar whose party is the secondmajor constituent in the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)government in Maharashtra.

Speaking on the issue of protests by farmers, Pawarsaid the solution seems impossible if they (the Centre) lackswill to resolve the issue.

''It is unprecedented that agitating farmers are beingstopped by rolling out nails on roads (in Delhi). Leaders ofOpposition parties, including NCP's Supriya Sule, were alsoprevented from meeting the agitating farmers. This clearlyindicates the anti-farmer approach (of the government),'' hesaid.

Pawar also raised concerns over the rising rates ofsteel and cement despite the low demand.

''Such price rise raises doubts whether steelmanufacturers have formed a ring together,'' he added.

The deputy CM also said the state government expectedthat the COVID-19 vaccination programme be implemented by theCentre, ''as it would be (financially) unviable for states torun it''.