Pawar meets PM, demands farm loan waiver in Maharashtra

New Delhi: As speculation spirals over government formation in Maharashtra, NCP president Sharad Pawar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to seek his urgent intervention in addressing farmer distress in the state.

Pawar said in a memorandum that he brought the "alarming situation" to the prime minister's notice and demanded a "complete and unconditional" farm loan waiver in the wake of the recent damage due to unseasonal rains. Asked by reporters about government formation in Maharashtra, the NCP chief declined to comment.

The Pawar-Modi meeting, which went on for 50 minutes, took place in the backdrop of hectic parleys between the Congress-NCP and the Shiv Sena to form government in Maharashtra.

Two days ago, Modi praised NCP MPs for their decision to not enter the Well of the house during proceedings.

Maharashtra has been under the President's rule since November 12. Leaders of the Congress-NCP will also be meeting here Wednesday evening to discuss the possibility of an alliance with the Shiv Sena.

"Met @PMOIndia Shri. Narendra Modi in Parliament today to discuss the issues of farmers in Maharashtra. This year, the seasonal has created havoc engulfing talukas in Maharashtra, causing heavy damage of crops over 54.22 lakh hectares of areas.

"To take stock of this unprecedented situation and address the concerns of distressed farmers, I had visited Nashik and Vidarbha in the first half of November," Pawar tweeted.

This year, the returning monsoon devastated almost every standing crop in major parts of Maharashtra, he said.