Sushma Andhare slams govt: 'Farmers starving while leaders feast on cashews'

This year's prolonged break in rainfall has put the kharif season in serious trouble across the state. Many areas have gone without rain for days at a stretch, badly hitting soybean, cotton and other crops. In some places standing soybean crops are seen withering. While the state government is currently assessing the drought situation, the opposition has stepped up its demand for an immediate official declaration of drought.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare has strongly criticised the government over the issue. Holding up a soybean pod from her own farm, she showed how serious the situation is, saying a single pod barely had two grains in it, and demanded that the government declare drought based on the actual ground situation rather than as a formality.

Andhare said, "This is a soybean pod from my own farm. It does not even have two grains in it. Given this situation, drought does not need to be declared merely as a formality, there is an actual drought situation."

She noted that the government is currently conducting inspection tours and review meetings. While the government spends time on these tours and meetings, she directly questioned when relief would actually reach farmers. At one meeting held to review the drought situation, the opposition also targeted the government over food items such as cashews and almonds, alleging that such meetings focus on matters other than farmers' problems.

Andhare also alleged that officials were busy on social media during a review meeting. However, she said this was not the fault of the officials, who work under pressure from those in power, and questioned the government's overall functioning. In other words, her contention is that officials are not being negligent on their own, but that pressure from above is causing meetings to lose their seriousness.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the break in rainfall has caused major damage to kharif crops in many parts of the state. Some areas have recorded as many as 40 to 45 days without rain. With soil moisture completely depleted after so many rain-free days, crops are on the verge of drying up. Farmers have been consistently demanding compensation and urgent assistance. Attention is now on whether the government will declare drought and provide immediate relief to farmers.