PM Modi, Sharad Pawar may have discussed border issue with China, farmers protest: Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant

Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant on Saturday said that in their meeting today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar might have discussed the border issue with China and ongoing farmers protest.

"Dalai Lama's birthday was celebrated in Ladakh. During the celebration, Chinese troops across the Sindhu river raised objections and used abusive words. China has also started constructing structures at the border. Sharad Pawar has been a Defence and Agriculture minister. I think he met the PM to discuss this along with the famers' issue," Sawant told ANI.

The meeting between Pawar and Modi came two days before the monsoon session of Parliament that begins on July 19.

The Sena MP said that the farmers had been protesting since last year but the Central government had not yet brought in a law on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) as demanded by farmers.

"Farmers are protesting since last year. On one hand, the Centre is saying that they are allocating that much money to APMC to make reforms. On the other, they are raising the prices of paddy, wheat, etc. When the farmers are saying to make MSP in law, the government is not doing that. I also demanded the same in the Parliament, "stated the Shiv Sena leader.

Sawant further said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra has been formed based on a common minimum program.

"We are running government not the parties. The government has been made based on a common minimum program. Recently, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray met with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to discuss the Maratha Reservation issue," added the Shiv Sena leader.

( With inputs from ANI )