States » WestPosted at: Sep 19 2026 5:31PM


The bitter taste of apathy: Maharashtra’s drought meeting overshadowed by snacking on dry fruits

Mumbai/Nanded, Sep 19 (UNI) In a stark display of administrative apathy amid a severe agrarian crisis gripping Maharashtra, a high-level official review meeting called to tackle the Marathwada drought has sparked intense political backlash after leaders were caught on camera snacking on premium dry fruits.
The controversy erupted following a high-powered meeting held at the Nanded Collectorate’s planning hall to review the grim drought situation across eight districts of Marathwada, where a prolonged monsoon break has scorched standing kharif crops, dried up water sources, and triggered an acute fodder shortage.
While distressed farmers across the region stare at financial ruin and await urgent government intervention, the meeting—chaired by Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane—witnessed authorities serving cashews and almonds to attending ministers, MPs, and MLAs.
A video clip showing public representatives, including MP Sanjay Jadhav, casually consuming the dry fruits while discussing the life-and-death crisis of the farming community quickly went viral on social media, drawing fierce widespread condemnation.
Realizing the damaging optics, Minister of State Meghna Sakore-Bordikar promptly directed officials to remove the snack plates from the tables.
However, the footage had already triggered a political storm.
Ruling alliance Minister Sanjay Shirasat openly lashed out at the bureaucratic lapse, questioning the common sense of officials who arranged such hospitality during a calamity of this scale.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Ambadas Danve launched a scathing attack on the state government, terming the incident a "cruel joke on the suffering of farmers."
Accusing the administration of mere lip service while neighbouring states act swiftly, Danve demanded an immediate official declaration of drought and robust financial relief for affected cultivators.
The incident has once again turned the spotlight on the widening disconnect between administrative machinery and the ground realities faced by rural Maharashtra.
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