On drought tour, minister's PA involved in scuffle

The tour of Maharashtra ministers in the 29 drought-hit tehsils of Beed, Latur and Osmanabad districts was today marred by a scuffle involving the personal assistant of Education Minister Vinod Tawde and supporters of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna.
SSS, headed by Sadabhau Khot, is an ally of the BJP-led ruling alliance in the state.
An enraged Khot said BJP ministers were "drunk on power" and demanded Tawde's resignation.
As a video of the incident went viral on social media, Tawde removed his PA Santosh Surve from the day-long tour of Marathwada.
The Minister said he could not understand why he was being targeted when he was there to hear farmers' grievances.

"I was there to ensure that the exams of students in drought-hit regions are held early and they can go back home as soon as possible. (We have announced) fee waiver to farmers' children, waiver of exam fees...I can't understand why the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna attacked me," Tawde said.

"(At Yedshi village in Osmanabad) we visited a school. As we were coming out, one of the protesters threw a glass bottle at me which hit the school wall. Surve came forward to stop the protesters and it looked like he hit them which was not the case," Tawde added.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who visited Lambota

village in Latur district blamed the policies of the previous Congress-NCP government for the situation.
"We are suffering because of nature as well as past mistakes...Water problem has never been addressed in a planned way. We have made a systematic plan now to make Maharashtra drought-free in the next five years through Jalyukt Shivar (water conservation)," he said.
"The government has launched this scheme to give farm ponds to whoever demands. The scheme would be implemented through MNREGA with a direct subsidy to the farmers. Government has been making water available through tankers to all the villages which need it," he added.

In Beed district, Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said farmers had the first right over the state's treasury.
Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde completed her tour of Georai tehsil in the morning and by late afternoon she left for New Delhi to attend a two-day conference of women elected representatives organised by the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, sources close to Munde said.
She submitted her report to the Chief Minister before heading for Delhi, and had sought prior permission to attend the conference, they said.