Relief for hailstorm-hit Maharashtra farmers: Cong-NCP hope to reap benefits

Even as the Maharashtra chief minster Prithviraj Chavan and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray kickstarted their tour to hailstorm-affected areas of Maharashtra on Tuesday, the latest crisis for farmers in the region has stirred politicians across the state . Needless to say, political leaders believe providing relief to the hailstorm-affected farmers could help the ruling Congress-NCP in Maharashtra at the Lok Sabha election to be held in April.

The code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections being in place, an immediate cash dole will not be possible without prior permission of the Election Commission.

According to state government officials, around 8,00,000 hectares of farm land spread across 28 districts in the state were hit by heavy rain and hailstorms over the past 10 days. The damage included around 50,000 hectares of fruit crop, including grapes, oranges, bananas and pomegranates. Also, wheat, jowar and cotton crops have been affected.

Union Agriculture Minister and NCP president Sharad Pawar along with other leaders has been visiting the hailstorm-affected areas since last week. Similarly, BJP leader Gopinath Munde and others are touring the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions.

Manikrao Thakare, Maharashtra congress president, said that the government will try to provide all possible help to the farmers. “Also, the state government will seek prior permission from the election commission to provide the relief to the farmers,” said Thakare.

Opposition parties slammed the government for not providing immediate relief to the farmers. “The government should provide as much help as possible to the farmers and we have no objection to it. But, the government is not providing immediate relief to farmers. We appeal to the government that it should fast-track the relief process,” said Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra BJP president.

NCP leaders admitted that the extension of relief to the hailstorm-affected farmers is expected to help the Congress-NCP in the Lok Sabha election. “Hailstorms have hit rural parts of the state that will go to polls in a month. During any such natural disaster, the government provides relief to the farmers affected by it. There will definitely be some positive impact on the Lok Sabha elections. So, our efforts are on to ensure that the relief to the farmers reaches them at the earliest,” said an NCP leader.

He added that the local NCP leaders are also helping the farmers in all possible ways. “In Madha constituency in Solapur district, a local political leader has started helping the farmers by picking up the grapes affected by the hailstorm and taking them to wineries. So, the grapes are not being wasted or thrown away,” he explained.

At present, Madha constituency is represented by union minister and NCP president Sharad Pawar.

Political analyst Surendra Jondhale said the Congress and NCP will seek to reap the benefits of the crisis. “But it depends on how effectively the government provides relief to the farmers. If it is able to do so effectively and quickly, then the credit will naturally go to the ruling Congress-NCP and it will help them in the Lok Sabha election,” said Jondhale.