Osmanabad: A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan announced bringing about a white paper on irrigation, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said the ruling Congress and NCP coalition are merely doing a lip service to the cause of drought-hit farmers.
"This is nothing but drama as both Congress and NCP are trying to divert people's attention from the impending agrarian crisis and are resorting to such theatrics," Uddhav said referring to Chavan's announcement that the state will bring about a white paper on irrigation projects in last 10 years and dipping irrigation potential.
At the symposium on 'Maharashtra Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow' held on the occasion of the birth centenary of Maharashtra's first chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan in Mumbai, the chief minister yesterday admitted that irrigation potential had grown only by 0.1 per cent in the last decade in the state and said he would ask the department to examine the spending.
Uddhva today visited drought-hit villages in the district along with party MLC Neelam Gorhe.
"Congress and NCP are hungry for power. They fight and again join hands. It's nothing new. They are now pretending that they are so concerned about farmers. If that is so then the CM and DCM must visit the regions reeling under drought," he said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, May 06, 2012, 00:15