'Sugarcane King' Pawar passes on title to Rahul, Ajit Singh

Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, who has a strong political base in the sugar belt of Maharashtra, was today called a "sugarcane king", a compliment he tried to pass on to Ajit Singh and Rahul Gandhi.
    
"Sharad Pawar is a sugarcane king," Uttar Pradesh agriculture minister Laxmi Narayan said, directing reporters toward the Union agriculture minister who was standing next to him at a function here.
    
However, Pawar passed the 'compliment' to Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh.
    
"I do not know where the sugarcane farmers have gone? Some people say it is Rahul Gandhi, some say it is Ajit Singh," he quipped in a lighter vein. He was referring to the massive protests here by sugarcane farmers led by Ajit Singh earlier this week.
    
Pawar was at the centre of a controversy triggered by the new sugarcane pricing policy, under which states were asked to bear the difference if they chose to pay a support price that was higher than that fixed by the Centre. The new policy, if not withdrawn, would have helped the mills.
    
While Ajit Singh's RLD spearheaded the farmers protest in Delhi, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi impressed upon prime minister Manmohan Singh to withdraw the controversial clause in the Sugarcane ordinance.