Marathi manoos must unite now: Sharad Pawar

Mumbai: National Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday expressed confidence that people from Maharashtra will unite to deal with the unprecedented floods in the state.

Mr Pawar was visiting flood-affected areas of Satara. Speaking at Tambave village — one of the flood-affected village — in Karad taluka, “Let’s show the world that Marathi maanos will defeat the tough time together. It is not possible for individuals to overcome losses caused by such a huge calamity. All institutes and NGOs should come forward to help people. We will also ask the state and Union government to provide relief and rehabilitation,” Mr Pawar said.

The former Union agriculture minister also urged other states to extend a helping hand to Maharashtra. The NCP chief recollected the numerous financial aids provided by the state to other states and argued that states like Gujarat, Bihar and Assam must reciprocate.

The NCP chief also assured that efforts would be made to secure maximum assistance from the Centre and state government. “One cannot understand the gravity of the situation without visiting flooded villages. We will also consult experts on how to reach out to maximum affected people and provide them relief,” Mr Pawar added.

The veteran leader also announced that all NCP MPs and MLAs would contribute their one-month salaries to the chief minister relief fund, while a cheque of Rs 50 lakh would be handed over to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai. Mr Pawar also claimed that Rs 1 crore was raised for flood relief within half-an-hour in his hometown Baramati on Friday.

The western parts of the Maharashtra, especially Sangli, Kolhapur and Satara, are reeling under intense flooding. Close to one lakh hectares of agricultural land has been damaged, due to the floods, a statement issued by the state government noted.