MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a strong critique against Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Tuesday, accusing him of failing to fulfil his 2009 promise to bring water to Solapur district, which faces severe water shortages.
Speaking at a public meeting for the Lok Sabha elections in Madha, Modi criticized Pawar’s tenure as Union agriculture minister, claiming he did not address the challenges faced by drought-prone areas such as Solapur or support farmers nationwide.
Modi recalled Pawar’s 2009 pledge to bring water to Solapur when he ran for Lok Sabha elections in Madha, questioning whether Pawar delivered on his promise. He argued that Pawar’s performance as an MP was poor, leading him not to contest from the constituency again.
“There were 99 incomplete irrigation projects in the country, 26 in Maharashtra. My mission is to bring water to every field and household. We have completed 63 of these projects,” Modi stated at the rally.
Modi further criticized Pawar for his failure to provide adequate remunerative prices for sugarcane during his tenure as Union agriculture minister, while praising his government for increasing the minimum support price.
Modi also stated that his administration resolved a long-standing issue of ₹10,000 crore income tax for sugar factories, benefiting cane growers in Maharashtra.
Speaking at a rally in Marathwada’s Latur, Modi accused the Opposition’s INDIA bloc of planning to rotate the prime minister’s position every year, stating, “They have a plan of ‘five PMs in five years,’ which will ultimately exploit the country.”
He reiterated his claim that Congress might introduce an inheritance tax, suggesting that legal heirs would lose a portion of inherited property.
Finally, Modi highlighted his government’s efforts to ensure national safety and security, contrasting them with past administrations’ handling of terrorism and emphasizing his government’s surgical strike inside Pakistan.
