PM has time for poll campaigns, but not for drought-hit Marathwada: Sena

Taking a dig at Narendra Modi for his poll campaign in West Bengal and Assam, the Shiv Sena on Monday said the prime minister should have taken out time to visit drought-hit Marathwada as well.

"Modi has become a global leader now and he is going across the world as the prime minister of India. People of this country are reeling under drought and are dying of hunger and thirst. The feeling among the people is that he should stay in the country and worry for the people," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said.

"India needs to be saved to save our global leadership," it said.

It would have been good if Modi had taken out time to spend two days in Marathwada, which is reeling under a severe drought, the Sena said.

"Modi is campaigning for elections in West Bengal and Assam. But people of Marathwada will not forget that he did not hear their cries," it said.

Attacking the government, the ruling alliance partner said that the Bharatiya Janata Party needs to introspect as to who is responsible for the "making" of Kanhaiya Kumar, the JNU Students' Union leader.

Kanhaiya had hit the headlines after being arrested on charges of sedition in the aftermath of an event on the JNU campus during which anti-India slogans were allegedly raised.

The JNU student leader had recently come down heavily on the Modi dispensation, terming it a "government of selfies and jumlas" as he pushed for enactment of a law to prevent caste-based prejudice in educational institutions.

The Sena also reminded Modi that the promises he made before elections, like bringing 'acche din' in the country, getting black money back and generating two crore jobs every year, have not been fulfilled as yet.

Meanwhile, Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Monday blamed the Centre for not handling the crisis in Marathwada well.

"It did not handle the situation well, this is our view," Raut said outside Parliament when asked how the Centre was handling the drought situation.

Taking an indirect dig at the PM, he said, "My appeal to the PM is please visit Marathwada to see the situation there. You travel the world over and you are a world leader. You are holding rallies in West Bengal and Assam; come to Marathwada also once."