Sharad Pawar meets PM Modi over Maha agrarian crisis, NEET protests

New Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, accompanied by his daughter and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Parliament office, submitting a memorandum on Maharashtra’s agrarian distress and urging Government intervention in student protests regarding the NEET‑UG examination paper leak.

The meeting came during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, a day after Pawar and Sule visited protesting students at Jantar Mantar.

In his memorandum to the Prime Minister, Pawar outlined the severe impact of erratic rainfall, persistent drought and administrative bottlenecks on rural communities. He highlighted that over 2,700 farmers died by suicide across Vidarbha and Marathwada within a single year, averaging one farmer death every three hours in Maharashtra. He said farmers require guaranteed fair pricing and transparent administration rather than temporary grants or loan waivers.

Pawar called for streamlined digital verification procedures to speed up compensation payouts to affected families, avoiding bureaucratic delays. He demanded an independent third‑party audit of delayed irrigation projects and the execution of the Jal Jeevan Mission in drought‑prone areas.

Following his visit to the protest site at Jantar Mantar, Pawar asked the Prime Minister to engage constructively with the youth demonstrating against competitive examination irregularities. He urged the administration to address student demands with empathy rather than heavy‑handed police action, emphasising that peaceful demonstrators exercising their constitutional rights deserve an accountable administrative response.

The meeting took place amid the Government’s efforts to muster up two‑thirds support in Parliament for the Delimitation Bill in the Monsoon Session. While the meeting triggered renewed media speculation regarding parliamentary alignments, NCP (SP) representatives maintained that the discussion focused strictly on agricultural policy and public grievances.

NCP (SP)’s eight MPs are considered important in the Government’s strategy to shore up adequate numbers for the passage of the Delimitation Bill. The party had earlier hinted it may consider supporting the Bill if the Government gives a written assurance on a 50 per cent seat increase across the board.

IANS