On way to city from Mumbai, Union minister Sharad Pawar's cavalcade zooms past villages that lost 3 people to police firing on farmer stir less than two weeks ago; NCp leader leaves for delhi soon after ZP function in city
On way to city from Mumbai, Union minister Sharad Pawar's cavalcade zooms past villages that lost 3u00a0 people to police firing on farmer stir less than two weeks ago; NCp leader leaves for delhi soon after ZP function in city
It is a case of like nephew, like uncle.u00a0xleft the farmers of Maval fuming when his cavalcade zoomed past their project-affected villages on its way to the city on Saturday night. 
Not bothered? Sharad Pawar took the Expressway, where on August 9
protesting farmers were fired upon by the police. File pics
After the police firing on agitating farmers from villages in Maval killed three people on August 9, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is the nephew of the Union Agriculture Minister, had invited the ire of villagers by making a trip to the affected villages but leaving without meeting the bereaved families.
The senior Pawar was in the city to attend the inauguration ceremony for the Zilla Parishad administrative building on Sunday. After landing at Mumbai airport, Pawar took the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday night to reach the city, where he stayed the night.
NCP workers in Maval said that as the inauguration of the ZP building that Pawar had come for was on Sunday, they had thought he would pay Maval a visit on Saturday. Contrary to their expectations, Pawar passed the Talegaon Toll Naka after 7 pm without halting in Maval to visit the grief-stricken families.
Party workers then thought he would come to Maval at least on Sunday evening, but their hopes were again dashed. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, NCP workers said their leader had left for Delhi on Sunday evening from the Lohegaon airport.
Villagers furious
Balasaheb Sonawane, a villager from Karund, said: "Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has left us fuming by not choosing to meet us. His decision to not to meet us shows that there is something fishy. We suspect that he has done this to protect Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and to avoid locals' fury against him."
Nitin Thakar, son of the deceased Kantabai Thakar, said: "Thirteen days have already passed. A condolence visit is paid within 10 days of the death. Now the time to pay such a visit is also gone. And we do not feel that Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar should come and condole with us."
Kisan Sathe, cousin of the deceased Moreshwar Sathe, refused to comment on Pawar's no-show. Rumours were also doing the rounds that Pawar had stayed at one of the five-star hotels in Lonavala, barely 10 km from Baur village, one of the affected villages. But NCP workers denied this.
Farmers were furious over NCP leaders showing their back to the farmers and their issues in Maval, saying even Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi paid a visit to the bereaved families of the three deceased, crossing mud-filled paths to make it to the villages for the tenth day rites of the dead. The farmers said Pawar was ignoring them because they were agitating against the pipeline project launched by the NCP.
The Other Side
An NCP worker denied that Sharad Pawar had stayed at a five-star hotel in Lonavla but not visited Baur village that is barely 10 km away. The party worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity,u00a0 said the NCP chief had briefly halted at Baur and had inspected the spot.
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