Those in power will have to pay price for disregarding Maharashtra’s youth, says Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar launches his grand-nephew Rohit Pawar’s Yuva Sangharsh Yatra, planned as a massive outreach programme to woo youth towards the NCP faction led by the senior Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on October 24 warned the ruling Eknath Shinde-led government that it would have to pay the price for disregarding the problems facing Maharashtra’s youth.

The 82-year-old Mr. Sharad Pawar, addressing a packed audience at Pune’s Tilak Smarak Mandir, kickstarted his grand-nephew and MLA Rohit Pawar’s Yuva Sangharsh Yatra on the occasion of Dussehra on October 24.

The planned 800-km foot march from Pune to Nagpur is planned as a massive outreach programme to woo youth towards the NCP faction led by Mr. Sharad Pawar following the split within the party engineered by Mr. Sharad Pawar’s mercurial nephew and rebel NCP leader Ajit Pawar.    

“Even before you all started this yatra, the State government has withdrawn its government resolution to recruit employees on contract basis for government service. It was compelled to take this decision because of the Yuva Sangharsh Yatra. So, think of the impact the march will have by the time it reaches Nagpur. I am sure that if the ruling powers wish to hold on to power, they would do well to take cognizance of this foot march,” said Mr. Sharad Pawar.

He warned that if the Shinde government did not pay attention to it, then it would have the face the consequences in the next election.

Mr. Sharad Pawar further promised that he would take up the demands of all youth with CM Shinde and ask him to hold a meeting with the youth representatives.

“I will attend the meeting myself. If the State government gives an assurance, then fine, else if they do not fulfil your demands, we will decide on the future course of action,” said Mr. Sharad Pawar.