Sharad Pawar meets Rajnath Singh regarding the developments on the proposed Purandar Airport

President of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharad Pawar, on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, called on the Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi. As per reports, the ministers met regarding the land acquisition plan required for the proposed Purandar Airport.

It is said that the meeting went on for half-an-hour, whereby, besides the discussion, Sharad Pawar once again lashed out at the BJP leaders over the farmers' agitation. After the meeting, the Maharashtra government proposed to set up a new airport at Purandar, and this is aimed at reducing the air traffic congestion faced at the Pune International Airport.

Information regarding the same was shared by Sharad Pawar on his Twitter account, whereby he mentioned having met Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to expedite the work on the proposed airport.

Sharad Pawar also interacted with the media after the meeting and said that a letter which was written during his position as an Agriculture Minister mentioned that the APMC market should be reformed. The Centre's agricultural laws do not even mention the APMC market and therefore, this is an attempt being made to discredit the party on this issue. He stated that while the MPMC is mentioned, the opponent should read the letter carefully.

Addressing the queries Pawar stated that he had also mentioned about not commenting on the Agriculture Act unless it was discussed. However, he did not feel good because the media awaited his response outside the house and hence were called for the same.

Mention about the letter was made at a press conference held regarding the farmers' agitation, where former CM Devendra Fadnavis had mentioned that Sharad Pawar in August 2010 had said that a good market was needed for the overall development, employment and economic growth of the agricultural sector. He had sent letters to the Chief Ministers of all the states between August 2010 and November 2011 emphasizing amendments to the APMC Act and had emphasised on promoting private participation in the market facilitation sector.

Furthermore, similar mentions have been made in the 2019 manifesto of the Congress party, whereby it clearly stated that if the Congress came to power, the law on market committees would be repealed and arrangements would be made for free trade in agricultural commodities.