Mumbai News: NCP Criticises Fadnavis for Tokyo Onion Announcement, State Leaders Question Decision

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharad Pawar, has publicly criticized Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for making a unilateral announcement regarding the onion crisis from Tokyo.

The National spokesperson of the NCP, Clyde Crasto, wondered why Mr. Fadnavis had to make the announcement from Japan when Maharashtra has a Chief Minister (Eknath Shinde) and a Deputy Chief Minister (Ajit Pawar) based in Mumbai.

Had spoken to Shah & Goyal on onion issue: Fadnavis

In a Tweet sent from Tokyo, Fadnavis had stated that he spoke to Union Ministers Amit Shah and Piyush Goyal on the onion issue. He said the Centre had decided to purchase two lakh tonnes of onions, and in Maharashtra, purchase centers would be opened at Nashik and Ahmednagar to buy the produce at Rs 2,410 per quintal. Due to this, onion producers of the state would get significant relief, Fadnavis added.

Crasto asked, "Why should an announcement about onion purchases be made from Japan when Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were very much in Mumbai? Ideally, the announcement ought to have been made by Shinde or alternatively by Pawar Jr. The NCP (Sharad Pawar) is upset with Fadnavis, as it holds him responsible for causing a split in the party. Sharad Pawar has also singled him out for criticism. Meanwhile, Shinde appealed to Pawar Sr. not to play politics on the onion issue. He told newspersons that both himself and Ajit Pawar had spoken to Amit Shah and Piyush Goyal on Monday regarding the issue, and it was after that the Centre decided to buy as many as two lakh tonnes of onions. Even the produce that was already loaded onto containers for export would be purchased by the Centre, he added. Shinde, flanked by Ajit Pawar, said the Centre's decision was "unprecedented."

He reminded Sharad Pawar that during his tenure as Union Agriculture Minister for ten years, he had not taken such a revolutionary decision to help onion growers. Shinde pointed out that New Delhi had also given substantial relief to sugar factories in Maharashtra in February regarding income tax. Shinde said an expert committee chaired by Dr. Anil Kakodkar had suggested ways to preserve onions and other perishables, and the government was also exploring those options. "We will take the help of the private sector if necessary," he added.