Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Wednesday accused the Narendra Modi government of indulging in favouritism and not providing necessary help to the state even as it faced at least three natural calamities in the last one year. He was talking to reporters on the sidelines of election meetings for the upcoming Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti bypolls in the district.

“The Centre did not provide funds that the Maharashtra government required to tackle the coronavirus pandemic that left the state’s economy in dire straits. Now, heavy rains have spoiled the roads in the state…The central government is responsible for the bad condition of roads as it did not give enough funds to the state,” he alleged.

Natural calamities hit the state at least three times in the last one year in some form or other and there is dire need for the central assistance, he added.

Patole, whose party shares power with Shiv Sena and NCP in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) dispensation, urged the state government to fix the potholes and repair the roads on priority.

“PM Modi has no time to visit Maharashtra to take stock of the natural calamities. He goes to Gujarat and declares Rs 1,000 crore relief, but nothing for our state. This is a clear-cut partiality…But the Centre should not differentiate in giving assistance for the natural and national calamities,” he said.

Talking about the OBC reservation issue, he recalled RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s old statement, in which he had called for a review of the reservation policy.

“Now, the BJP is out to finish the reservation, which is why the electoral quota to OBCs in local body polls has suffered,” he said.

He also accused the BJP of trying to sell the country’s assets and projects.

Patole slammed the Centre over the “anti-farmer laws”, and alleged that the BJP government was trying to end the farmers and the poor.

“The bullet train project is a luxury and meant for rich people. It is not for the poor, tribals and the common people,” he alleged.

Patole added that some leaders met Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday and demanded that a wet drought be declared in the state as heavy rains have damaged crops at several places.