Daijiworld Media Network - Pune
Pune, Oct 17: Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) working president and MP Supriya Sule on Saturday criticised the Maharashtra government’s announcement of Rs 5,000 in financial assistance to drought-hit farmers, calling it a mockery of their suffering.
Under the ‘Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi’ scheme, introduced in line with the Central government’s scheme, Maharashtra had decided to provide farmers with Rs 6,000 annually. The last instalment was credited to beneficiaries’ accounts on January 13, 2026.
However, the state government has yet to disburse the pending Rs 4,000 due to farmers for the current financial year. Sule said depriving farmers of the amount they were entitled to was a grave injustice.
Speaking to reporters, Sule said farmers should receive direct compensation of Rs 1 lakh per hectare, as suggested by NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar in his letter.
She demanded that the pending Rs 4,000, along with the newly announced Rs 5,000, be credited to farmers’ accounts immediately, taking the total assistance to at least Rs 9,000.
Sule alleged that while the government claimed the state treasury was empty when it came to providing relief to farmers, it was spending Rs 18 crore on purchasing new luxury cars for ministers.
Raising concerns over discrepancies in voter data, Sule claimed that the number of voters in her Baramati Lok Sabha constituency had fallen sharply from 25 lakh to 19 lakh, with around seven lakh voters allegedly disappearing.
“In my own Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, there were 25 lakh voters. Shockingly, 700,000 voters suddenly vanished, bringing the count down to 19 lakh. In the Khadakwasla Assembly constituency, the voter count dropped drastically from 500,000 to 250,000. First, 50,000 voters were artificially added, and then 2.5 lakh voters were slashed. Who are these missing voters, and why is the Election Commission hiding this information?” she asked.
Sule said she was willing to face an inquiry into herself and her constituency despite having been elected from Baramati.
“I have been elected from Baramati, yet I demand an inquiry into myself and my constituency. We do not want to pass by copying; we want to win through hard work,” she said.
On the issue of superstition, Sule said the Anti-Superstition Act had been passed collectively and warned that any Cabinet minister openly promoting superstition would be committing a serious offence under the law.
Instead of protecting such ministers through political ‘washing machines’, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should initiate immediate legal action against them, she demanded.
Sule also said the INDIA bloc and her party fully supported anyone protesting peacefully and within the framework of the Constitution.
“Are the Intelligence Bureau, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the banking system in the country sleeping?” she asked.
She pointed out that she was a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) and said the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had dismissed four of its senior officers over alleged malpractices in the FCRA mechanism, adding that the matter was known to the nation.
Sule further announced that the Pawar family would not celebrate Diwali this year following the tragic loss of Ajit Pawar, whom she described as a key pillar of the family and her brother.
“Even though it is the children's first Diwali, we will not celebrate any festival. On one hand, we have suffered a massive personal loss, and on the other hand, the farmers and hardworking masses to whom we owe our existence are burning in the fires of drought and inflation. Therefore, neither any political Padwa nor Diwali will be celebrated in Baramati this year,” she said.