Sharad Pawar’s Message To Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Consult Opposition, Time For Collective Endeavour

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NCP chief and Maratha stalwart Sharad Pawar has said that the opposition parties want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have dialogue with them about the the measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak and also “activate” parliamentary standing committees.

In a series of tweets after a video conference of leaders of 22 opposition parties, Pawar said they believed that this was not the time for “showmanship or oneupmanship”.

“We have decided to appeal to the@PMOIndia to immediately reach out to, and engage in a dialogue with all political parties in a systematic manner, listen seriously to the suggestions that we have to make…refrain from using the crisis for personal political gain, activate Parliamentary institutions like Standing Committees and be genuine in helping the states financially and otherwise,” Pawar said.

“The like-minded political parties are collectively going to raise a 10-point demand to the Central Government to implement immediately,” he added.

During the meeting, he called for consultations with industrialists and experts to increase imports, exports and inland shipping, the NCP chief said.

“New policies for encouraging industrial growth should be incorporated to attract new investment in the states. To increase imports, exports and inland shipping, consultations should be held with industrialists, entrepreneurs and expert officials in the field,” he said.

State governments are relaxing lockdown norms but factories can not easily resume operations as workers have left for their homes, Pawar pointed out, calling for a strategy to bring them back.