With Maharashtra facing one of the worst droughts in recent years, BJP leader Gopinath Munde today lamented that the Center has hardly helped the state which has sought assistance of Rs 6,000 crore.
Participating in the debate on the situation arising out of drought and hailstorms in different parts of the country, the BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha wondered whether there was confusion on assistance sought by the Maharashtra from the Center.
"The Chief Minister says that we have sent two memorandums to the Centre but we have not got an assistance from Centre. But Union Agriculture Minister says that no memorandum has been received from Maharashtra. What is the truth?", Munde asked.
A known detractor of the Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Munde asked him to clarify the position on the issue.
Noting that the Center has provided a meager amount of Rs 670 crore so far, he said that the magnitude of the situation could be gauged from the fact that state's 11,900 villages across 17 districts have been declared scarcity affected.
He said that as many as 4,000 villages are being provided water through tankers and in some districts water is supplied from a distance of 100 km or more and "the situation is so grave that the Chief Minister says that the water would have to be supplied using trains."
Munde said that the Parli thermal power station which falls in his constituency has been shut for want of water but it is strange that the tehsil has not been declared scarcity hit.
Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj alleged that this has been done because it is Munde's constituency.
