Should I not eat? Sena MP Sanjay Jadhav defends eating dry fruits at drought meet

Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Jadhav on Saturday hit back at criticism over his eating almonds and cashews during a meeting called to discuss the drought-like situation and farm distress in Nanded district. He said the focus should remain on the farmers’ problems caused by poor rainfall during the monsoon, and accused the Opposition of politicising the issue.

The row broke out after videos of Jadhav eating from a plate placed in front of him at the meeting, attended by Maharashtra agriculture minister Dattatray Bharane, went viral on social media. Opposition leaders and several netizens called the act insensitive. Separately, Congress workers and farmers protested against Bharane on his way to the review meeting.

Jadhav, the MP from Parbhani, said the Opposition had boycotted the meeting. “The Opposition boycotted the meeting. The focus should remain on the issues discussed at the meeting rather than on the food served to participants,” he said.

Responding to the criticism, Jadhav told reporters, “When a plate is served in front of you, should you eat or not? Who ordered that the food be kept there? The mistake was of the person who kept the plate there.” He also said that at the meeting he had strongly demanded that the government announce immediate and comprehensive assistance for farmers affected by the drought-like situation.

Meanwhile, Congress workers and farmers held a protest against Bharane as he was heading towards the pre-scheduled review meeting at the District Collectorate. They surrounded his convoy near the government rest house, raised slogans and some of them handed over dried-up soybean plants to the minister.

The protesters demanded that the state government declare Marathwada drought-affected, waive farm loans and provide compensation for crop damage. The meeting and the protest both centred on the distress faced by farmers in the region due to inadequate rainfall.