Mumbai, Jan 25 (IANS): The Maharashtra Raj Bhavan said that the Samyukta Shetkari Kamgar Morcha (SSKM) leaders were informed that Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari would be unavailable to meet the farmers' delegation on Monday.

An official spokesperson said that SSKM leader Dhananjya Shinde was told this by telephone on January 22 while convenor Prakash Reddy was sent a letter on January 24 to this effect.

Koshyari is holding additional charge of Goa Governor and he was in the neighbouring state to address the first session of Goa Assembly's Budget Session which got underway on Monday.

The Raj Bhavan statement came hours after Nationalist Congress President Sharad Pawar, All India Kisan Sabha President Dr Ashok Dawale and other political and farmers leaders slammed the Governor for allegedly not meeting the farmers to receive a memorandum from them.

Without naming Koshyari, Pawar had said in a massive rally at Azad Maidan that while the Governor has time to meet Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, he had no time for the 'kisan brothers' who have come to Mumbai from all over the state, sparking off a political row.

On their part, the SSKM and other parties' leaders decided to cancel the march to Raj Bhavan and they tore copies of the memorandum to protest what they termed "an insult" to the farmers, while deciding to send the representation to President Ram Nath Kovind.

The Governor had gone to Goa for a couple of days to participate in the closing ceremony of the just-concluded International Film Festival of India there on Sunday, followed by the Legislature Session's address this morning, and is expected to return to Mumbai on Monday night.