Sharad Pawar Meets PM Modi a Day After Backing Student Protest; Farmers' Issues Cited as Key Agenda

New Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Parliament on Wednesday, just a day after visiting student protesters at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The meeting has drawn political attention amid ongoing speculation over Pawar's future political strategy and the current agitation over alleged irregularities in the education system.

Photographs from the meeting showed Prime Minister Modi welcoming Pawar into his office, leading to speculation over the purpose of the discussion. The meeting also comes amid reports suggesting that the NCP could be considering closer ties with the BJP-led NDA, although no official confirmation has been made.

However, NCP Maharashtra President Shashikant Shinde dismissed suggestions of any political negotiations. He said Pawar had supported the student protest on Tuesday and may have met the Prime Minister to discuss the concerns raised by the protesters and explore a possible resolution.

According to Shinde, there was no indication that the meeting involved any political alliance or power-sharing discussions.

Letter Focused on Farmers' Welfare

Sharad Pawar also submitted a letter to Prime Minister Modi highlighting the severe challenges faced by farmers, particularly in Maharashtra.

In the letter, Pawar reportedly urged the Centre to:

•Take stronger measures to prevent farmer suicides.

•Provide immediate financial assistance to affected families.

•Ensure faster investigations into farmer suicide cases.

•Strengthen mental health support for distressed farmers.

•Increase transparency in irrigation and water projects through third-party audits.

•Expedite pending irrigation projects.

•Grant farmers a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) instead of merely announcing MSP.

•Reform the crop insurance scheme by ensuring compensation is directly transferred to farmers' bank accounts.

•Take strict action against companies selling fake or substandard seeds and ensure the supply of quality seeds.

While the timing of the meeting has generated political debate, neither the Prime Minister's Office nor Sharad Pawar has officially disclosed the complete details of their discussion.