Pawar, a former Union Agriculture Minister, lamented that the country does not have an agriculture minister “Such a big country like ours does not have an agriculture minister. Whom should the farmers turn to ? How will the country run without the agriculture minister ?,” he said.

Pawar said, “Farmers are going through difficult time not only in Maharashtra but across the country their plight is similar. I had recently gone to Amravati where 25 farmers had ended their lives in 10 days. Farmers who feed the hunger of the country are dying. This is not a small issue.”

The NCP founder said when that he was the agriculture minister, he had taken the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Latur, Yevatmal and Wardha. “We met the families of the farmers. After that we went back to Delhi and immediately waived off their loan,” he said.

Praising the Akrosh Morcha, Pawar said, “I want to thank Amol Kolhe and other party colleagues for taking up the cause of farmers so aggressively. This Akrosh Morcha has not remained limited, it has reached the entire country. This will create awareness in the country about the plight of the farmers and their neglect by the central and state governments.”

The three-day morcha had started from Shivneri fort in Junnar

Speaking on the occasion, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar recently spoke about defeating Amol Kolhe from Shirur seat. “I want to tell Ajit Pawar that if he is trying to defeat Amol Kolhe, he will himself end up at the losing end… Hava tej chal rahi hai…Ajit Pawar ki topi oodhjayengi… (winds of change will blow away Ajit Pawar’s cap ),” he said.

Raut also alleged that the Narendra Modi-led government is “selling” public sector companies and the even “trying to sell the country”.
“But they are also into purchase business. They are purchasing MLAs and MPs,” he said.

Raut said if EVMs are done away with, the BJP will not even win gram panchayat elections. “Let them do away with EVMs, they will lose civic as well as gram panchayat elections in the country. Currently, they are winning by big numbers. This is all the magic of EVMs,” he said.

Addressing the rally, senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat said,”If the plight of farmers did not ease after the morcha, we will organise ‘hallabol morcha’.”

Thorat said, “Farmers were expecting that they will earn profit through the rise in prices of sugar and onion. However, by halting onion export, the Centre has delivered a blow to farmers. The Centre has also stopped Ethnol production which has further rubbed salt into the wounds of farmers.”