Vidarbha विदर्भ
—  region/ aspirant state  —
Map of India with Vidarbha highlighted in red
Coordinates
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
Largest city	Nagpur
Population • Density	23,003,179 • 236 /km2 (611 /sq mi)[1]
Official languages	Marathi
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area	97,321 square kilometres (37,576 sq mi)[1]

Principal Cities[link]

Nagpur, Amravati, Akola

Vidarbha (Marathi: विदर्भ) is the eastern region of Maharashtra state made up of Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. Its former name is Berar (Varhad in Marathi).^[2][3] It occupies 31.6% of total area and holds 21.3% of total population of Maharashtra.^[1] It borders the state of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chattisgarh to the east, Andhra Pradesh to the south and Marathwada and Khandesh regions of Maharashtra to the west. Situated in central India, Vidarbha has its own rich cultural and historical background distinct from rest of Maharashtra. The largest city in Vidarbha is Nagpur, the second largest is Amravati while Akola stands third followed by Yavatmal, Chandrapur and Gondia. A majority of Vidarbhians speak Vahardi, a dialect of Marathi.

The region is famous for growing oranges and cotton. Vidarbha holds two-thirds of Maharashtra's mineral resources, three quarters of its forest resources, and is a net producer of power.^[4] Throughout its history, Vidarbha has remained much calmer during the communal troubles than the rest of India; but it is plagued very much by poverty^[5] and malnutrition.^[6] It is less economically prosperous compared to the rest of Maharashtra.^[7]

In recent times, there have been calls for a separate state of Vidarbha, due to the continuous neglect from the Government of Maharashtra towards this region and the incompetent political leadership in Vidarbha, except for a few leaders. The living conditions of farmers in this region are poor compared to India as a whole. There have been more than 32,000 farmers' suicides in Maharashtra in a decade, of which 70% being in the 11 districts of Vidarbha region.^[8] Though rich in minerals, coal, forests and mountains, this region is always underdeveloped because of its continuous dominance by the political leadership from the other parts of the state, especially Western Maharashtra. Though being culturally, politically and financially different from the rest of Maharashtra, the calls for a separate state come in picture only when the leaders from this region are sidelined by the other higher authorities in the govt. of Maharashtra.^[9] It has largely become a myth as a separate Vidarbha state, mainly due to the opposition from the state political party Shiv Sena.^[10]

History[link]

Nagpur was the Capital of the Devgadh Sarkar of Subah Berar and Gondwana and the Vidarbha region known as Gulshan-e-Berar in Muedveal period since khilji dynasty to mughal period according Aine-Akbari and Alimgeer Namah report the berar is hole Fourteen sarkar of Vidarhbha region and Sawai Shiri Shrimant Santaji Bhonsle Depute "Sena Sahibe -E-Subah of berar and gondwana.He was father Inlaw of Aurangzeb Grand son "Bedar Bakht Mirza s/oMirza Mohammed Azam Shah Emperor of India, Buland Bakht the king of Gondwana in 1681 deputed by Aurangzeb Alamgeer Emperor of india after sultan Chand Shah son of Buland Bakht After the death of Sultanchand Shah widow wife call Relative of "Sena Sahib-E-Subah". Raghuji Bhonsle "I" In 1732 Raghuji Bhonsle "I"appointed Military officer for collection of revenue and chauth for sultan chand shah family. Then Bhonsle dynasty of Marathas who in the mid eighteenth century created an independent Hindu princely state that covered much of east-central India. After their defeat in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, the Bhonsle dominions were reduced to the Nagpur division. In 1853 the last Maharaja of Nagpur died without a male heir and subsequently Nagpur division was incorporated into mainstream British India. Nagpur division became a part of the British Raj's Central Provinces in 1861.

Amravati division, formerly known as Berar, was administered by the Nizam of Hyderabad until 1853. In that year, citing misgovernance by the Nizam, the British colonial administration took direct control over the province. Berar was added to the Central Provinces in 1903.

During India's independence struggle Nagpur hosted the sessions of Indian National Congress several times. Sevagram was arguably the capital of nationalistic India during the Gandhian era.

After India's independence in 1947, Central Provinces and Berar became the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. In 1956 Vidarbha was transferred to Bombay state along with all Marathi-speaking areas. In 1960 Bombay state was split along linguistic lines into the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Marathi-speaking Vidarbha became part of the state of Maharashtra.

Geography[link]

Geographically Vidarbha lies on the northern part of Deccan Plateau. Unlike the Western Ghats, there are no major hilly areas . The Satpura Range lies to the north of Vidarbha region in Madhya Pradesh. The Melghat area of Amravati district is on southern offshoot of the Satpura Range.^[11] Large basaltic rock formations exists throughout Vidarbha caused by the Deccan lava trap. Gondia district is unique in Maharashtra in the sense that the entire area of the district is occupied by metamorphic rock and alluvium.^[12] Buldhana has the Lonar crater created by impact of meteorite or comet. The eastern districts of Gondia, Bhandara, Gadchirolli and Nagpur fall in earthquake zone 1, which is considered safest in India, while other districts fall in zone 2.

Wainganga is the largest of all the Vidarbha rivers. Other major rivers that drain Vidarbha region are the Wardha, and Kanhan rivers which are all tributaries of Godavari river. In north, five small rivers, Khapra, Sipna, Gadga and Dolar along with Purna, are the tributaries of Tapti river. Penganga river is another big river which originates in Buldhana district. Then it flows through Washim district. There onwards it forms a border between districts, Washim (Vidharbha) and Hingoli (Marathwada), Yavatmal(Vidharbha) and Hingoli, Yavatmal(Vidharbha) and Nanded(Marathwada), Yavatmal and Andhra Pradesh, Yavatmal and Chandrapur. After that it meets Wardha flowing through Chandrapur district and meets Wainganga to become Pranhita river which is a tributary of Godavari. Kas, Kayadhu,Adan, Pus and Arunavati are main tributaries of Penganga river.

Administration & politics[link]

Vidhan Bhavan at Nagpur hosts winter session of Maharashtra Assembly

Vidarbha comprises two divisions (Amravati and Nagpur). It has 11 districts namely, Amravati, Akola, Bhandara, Buldana, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Nagpur, Wardha, Washim, Yavatmal.

District administration[link]

Each district has a collector's office which is responsible for day-to-day administration. The District Collector is a Central Indian Government appointee who is in charge of the governance of a district in a state.^[13] Nagpur city, the largest city in Vidarbha, has a special civic body, the Nagpur Improvement Trust, which along with Nagpur Municipal Corporation is responsible for overall development and planning activity. Other significant cities like Amravati and Akola too have their own municipal corporation. The corporators (representatives) in these civic bodies are elected via elections. Urban areas are split in different wards and each ward elects a representative. Rural areas have a panchayat raj system.

Representation in Lok Sabha[link]

Vidarbha is represented at national level by 10 Lok sabha seats. Nagpur district which has the highest population density is split into 2 lok sabha seats of Nagpur and Ramtek while districts with lower population density like Chimur and Gadchiroli are clubbed together. Gondia-Bhandara seats has very important as Mr. Praful Patel basically from Gondia is MP from this lok sabha seat. Ramtek and Amravati seats are reserved for Scheduled caste candidates only while Gadchiroli-Chimur is reserved for Scheduled Tribes.^[14]

Representation in Vidhan Sabha[link]

Vidarbha is represented at state level by 62 assembly seats. Nagpur boasts the densest concentration of assembly seats with the city divided into 6 areas. Certain seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates only, while others are open to all to contest.^[15] As part of the Nagpur Pact the winter session of Maharashtra assembly is held as Nagpur Vidhan Bhavan.

Demographics[link]

Vidarbha has total population of 20,630,987 according to the 2001 census of the government of India.^[16] Hinduism is the predominant religion in this region. Buddhism is second most followed religion. This is unusual compared to the rest of Maharashtra and even most north Indian states where usually Islam is second most followed religion. The significant following of Buddhism is due to Dalit Buddhist movement started by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

Separate Statehood movement[link]

1. 1853 :- After British conquests from Mughals and Marathas in central India, in 1853 "Nagpur Province" was formed with Nagpur as capital. It was administered by a commissioner under the central government.
2. 1861 :- "Central Province" was formed by the British, with Nagpur as capital.
3. 1903 :- On 1 October Berar was also placed under the administration of the commissioner of Central Provinces. It was now named as "Central Province and Berar".
4. 1935 :- Government of India Act, passed by British parliament formed provincial assembly, providing for an election. Central Province and Berar was kept a separate entity, with Nagpur as capital.
5. 1950 :- When constitution of India went into effect in 1950; Central Province and Berar became Madhya Pradesh, with Nagpur as capital.
6. 1956 :- "Vidarbha State" with Nagpur as capital was recommended by Fazal Ali commission (appointed in 1953) for reorganisation of states in India.
7. 1960 :- On 1 May the "Vidarbha state", recommended by Fazal Ali commission for reorganisation of states, was merged with, newly formed Maharashtra State.

In recent years there have been sporadic calls by its population for Vidarbha to secede from Maharashtra. This is based in part on the feeling of being neglected by the Maharashtra state government and in part on assertion of a distinct political identity. The people have complained that the region has fallen behind others in Maharashtra in attracting investment and development funds. The region is comparatively poorly served by roads, irrigation facilities and educational institutions. However political movements for attaining statehood have failed to hold sway as their leaders have been considered opportunistic. Vidarbha Rajya Party and Vidarbha Rajya Nirman Congress are very small political parties created by leaders that have split from national level parties like INC. Only one national party - BJP has officially included demand for separate vidarbha state, in its national manifesto.

Vidarbha has total population of 20,630,987 according to the 2001 census of the government of India.^[16] Though rich in minerals, coal, forests and mountains, this region is always underdeveloped primarily because of lack of agriculture. Tata group started the country's first textile mill at Nagpur, formally known as Central India Spinning and Weaving Company Ltd. The company was popularly known as "Empress Mills" as it was inaugurated on 1 January 1877, the day queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India.^[17]

Economy[link]

Vidarbha's economy is primarily agricultural and also the region is rich in forest and mineral wealth. From a business point of view, Chandrapur, Amravati and Nagpur are important cities of Vidarbha. Nagpur is a central hub for business. Amravati is well known for film distributors and its cloth markets. Chandrapur has a thermal power station which is one of the biggest in India and some other heavy industries such as BILT (Paper Industry) MEL, Steel industries, Cement industries and coal mines.

An International cargo hub, (MIHAN), is being developed at Nagpur.^[18][19] MIHAN will be used for handling heavy cargo coming from South-East Asia and Middle-East Asia. The project will also include a 10,000 crore (US$2 billion) Special Economic Zone (SEZ)^[20] for Information Technology (IT) companies. This will be the biggest development project in India so far.^[21]

Agriculture[link]

The main cash crops of the region are cotton, oranges and soya beans. Amravati is the largest Orange growing district. Traditional crops are sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra) and rice. Yavatmal is the largest cotton growing district. Gondia is the largest rice growing district. Gondia is a Rice city. Recently Vidarbha region has become infamous for a large number of farmer suicides occurring.
On 1 July 2006 the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh announced a Rs. 3,750-crore (Rupees 37.5 billion) relief package for Vidharbha. The package should help farmers in six districts of the region. However the package was not welcomed by most financial pundits and the journalist P Sainath wrote the following^[22] in The Hindu newspaper criticising the package and saying that it was destined to fail. Recently it was found that most of the government officials are involved in corruption of the 'packages' which were announced for farmers. Government suspended more that 400 government officials in this scam.

Mineral wealth[link]

The Chandrapur, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Bhandara and Nagpur Districts form the main mineral belt, with coal and manganese as the major minerals. Chandrapur district alone contributes 29% of all mineral output of Maharashtra.^[23] Iron ore and limestone are identified as potential mining resources.^[24]

Industry[link]

Traditionally Vidarbha has lagged behind western Maharashtra in industrial growth. Various incentives were granted to attract industries but have failed. Butibori Industrial Area MIDC outside Nagpur is one of the largest industrial areas in country but few industries have actually opened there. MIHAN an international cargo hub project is currently underway at Nagpur. The project aims to exploit the central location of Nagpur and convert the present airport into a major freight hub with integrated road and rail connectivity along with a Special Economic Zone. Ballarpur Industries, India's largest manufacturer and exporter of paper is located in Chandrapur district.^[25]

Farmers' suicides[link]

There have been more than 30,000 farmers who committed suicides in Maharashtra in the last decade, out of which more than 70% farmers belong to the 11 districts of Vidarbha region. This is mainly because of the infertility of the land, lack of ample amount of water resources, lack of new technologies and due to the negligence of the state govt. towards the farmers needs. The main crop in Vidarbha being Cotton, but the farmers growing it do not get their share from the govt., which lead to the high distress among them, leading to the massive suicides. Due to the absence of any responsible counseling either from the government or society there were many farmers who did not know how to survive in the changing economy. Such stresses pushed many into a corner where suicide became an option for them.^[26] This also lead the farmers and others in this region to make a call for a separate Vidarbha state.

Tourism[link]

Kanha Tiger Reserve (outside province)

Entrance of Anand Sagar, Shegaon, Holy place for Hindus and a famous picnic spot in Vidarbha.

Vidarbha has lush green deciduous forests which are home to a variety of flora and fauna. These attract a large number of visitors each year. All of Maharashtra's tiger reserves are located in Vidarbha^{[citation needed]}. They are Melghat Tiger Reserve in Amravati district, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district and Pench Tiger Reserve in Nagpur district. The Nagzira wild life sanctuary and Navegoan Bandh National Park(bird sanctuary)of Gondia District are also very popular. Although the eastern region of the Vidarbha is poorer in natural resources in comparison with the west, it contains Maharashtra's oldest National Park created in 1955, the Tadoba Tiger Reserve spanning 575.78 km²,^[27] one of India's 39 Project Tiger Reserves.^[28]

The National Park consists of two forested rectangles of the Tadoba and Andhari range. Aside from around 50 tigers, Tadoba Tiger Reserve is home to rare Indian wildlife like leopards, sloth bears, gaur, wild dogs, hyenas, civet and jungle cats, and many species of Indian deer like sambar, cheetal, nilgai, and barking deer. The Tadoba lake sustains the Marsh Crocodile, which were once common all over Maharashtra. Tadoba is also an ornithologist's paradise with a varied diversity of aquatic birdlife.

Thickly clad hills form the northern and western boundary of the Tiger Reserve. To the southwest is a huge lake which acts as a buffer between the park's forest and the extensive farmland which extends up to Irai Lake.

Adjacent to the core forested hills is the Chichghat valley which hosts the forest lodge.^[29] The Tadoba Tiger Reserve is an undisturbed forest not crowded by too many tourists. Tadoba Tiger Reserve is open throughout the year and is at three-hour road journey from the city of Nagpur.

Scriptural importance[link]

Aside from cultural distinctness from the rest of Maharashtra, Vidarbha has evolved historically in a different fashion. Many scriptures mention Vidarbha as the location of:

• The marriage of Agastya and Lopamudra.
• Rukmini-haran (the elopement of Rukmini with Lord Krishna). Rukmini is described as the princess of the Vidarbha kingdom. Later Rukmini became one of the chief queens of Krishna.
• Kundinpur/Kaundinyapur/Kundinapuri, the mythological capital of Vidarbha has been mentioned in Mahabharata
• The story of king Nala and Damayanti, also in the Mahabharata.

Ramayana has the reference of Vidarbha as one on the Janapadas at that time.

Kalidasa's epic poem "Meghaduta" also mentions Vidarbha as the place of banishment of the Yaksha Gandharva.

Culture & people[link]

Situated in central India, Vidarbha has a rich cultural and historical background distinct from rest of Maharashtra. Even though Marathi culture is most dominant, Vidarbha has been a melting pot of Telugu speaking people from south, Hindi speaking central India and tribal people of Chattisgarh. Vidarbha is famous for the Varhādi dialect of Marathi language spoken in the rest of Maharashtra. The Gadchiroli district of Vidarbha has large population of tribal people. Hindu festivals like holi, diwali and Dasara are celebrated throughout the region.^[30] There are many prominent cultural and literary societies working in Vidarbha. Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh (for development of Marathi), Vidarbha Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti (promotion and spreading Hindi) and Vidarbha Hindi Sahitya Sammelan (for promoting Hindi). The Nagpur central museum (estb 1863) maintains collections that are mainly from Vidarbha.^[31]

Sports[link]

Cricket is the favorite sports as in rest of India and Nagpur's Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground (VCA) hosts international cricket matches.^[32] Vidarbha Cricket Team also plays in Ranji Trophy.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vidarbha

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Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar (Marathi: शरदचंद्र गोविंदराव पवार; born 12 December 1940), popularly known as Sharad Pawar), is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress. He has previously held the posts of Minister of Defence and Chief Minister of Maharashtra and currently serves as Minister of Agriculture, Government of India.

Pawar is from the town of Baramati in the Pune district of Maharashtra. He leads the NCP delegation in the Lok Sabha, representing his constituency of Madha in Maharashtra. He has a prominence in national politics as well as regional politics of Maharashtra, although marred by frequent corruption allegations.

Pawar also served as the Chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India from 2005 to 2008. In 2010, Sharad Pawar became the International Cricket Council president after England's David Morgan.^[1]

Early life and family history[link]

Pawar is one of the ten children (six sons and four daughters) born to Govindrao Pawar and Shardabai baramati). Govindrao was employed by the Baramati farmers' Cooperative ( Sahakari Kharedi Vikri Sangh) while his mother looked after the family farm at Katewadi, ten kilometers from Baramati. Most of siblings were well educated and were either professionals or ran their own businesses. Pawar studied at BrihanMaharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC)in Pune. He was an average student, however, active in student politics. Pawar's first political act was when he organized a protest march for Goan Independence in Pravaranagar in 1956.,^[2] Pawar is married to Pratibha (Shinde). They have one daughter, Supriya who is married to Sadanand Sule and now is active in politics. Pawar's nephew, Ajit Pawar is also a prominent politician in his own right and presently serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Pawar's younger brother, Pratap runs the influential Marathi daily, Sakal

Political career[link]

Till 1990[link]

Sharad Pawar entered the Maharashtra legislative assembly for the first time in 1967 from Baramati, representing the undivided Congress Party. Yashwantrao Chavan was the political mentor of Sharad Pawar.^[3]

Pawar broke away from the Congress to form a coalition MODI28 government with the opposition Janata Sangh in 1978 becoming the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the first time at a time when Indira Gandhi had become incredibly unpopular due to her imposition of Emergency in 1975^{[citation needed]}. This Progressive Democratic Front government was dismissed in February 1980, following Indira Gandhi's return to power at the Centre.

power at the Centre.

In the elections that frty won the majority in state assembly and A.R. Antulay,took over as the chief minister of the state. Pawar took over the Presidency of the Congress in 1981. For the first time, he won Lok Sabha election from Baramati parliamentary constituency in 1984. He also won state assembly elections of March 1985 from Baramati and preferred to continue in state politics for a while and resigned from the Lok Sabha. His party, the Indian Congress (Socialist) won 54 seats out of 288 in the state assembly and he became the leader of the opposition.

His returning to the Congress has been cited as a reason for the rise of the Shiv Sena at that time. In June 1988, Prime Minister of India and Congress President Rajiv Gandhi decided to induct then Maharashtra Chief Minister Shankarrao Chavan into Union Cabinet as Finance Minister and Sharad Pawar was chosen to replace Chavan as chief minister. Sharad Pawar had the task of checking the rise of the Shiv Sena in state politics, which was a potential challenge to the dominance of Congress party in the state^{[citation needed]}. In 1989 Lok Sabha elections, Congress party won 28 seats out of 48 in Maharashtra. In the state assembly elections of February 1990, the alliance between the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party posed a stiff challenge to the Congress. Congress fell short of an absolute majority in the state assembly, winning 141 seats out 288. Sharad Pawar was sworn in as chief minister again on March 4, 1990 with the support of 12 independent MLAs.

Early 1990s[link]

During the course of election campaign, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated. There were reports in the media that Pawar's name was being considered for the Prime Minister's post along with those of P.V. Narasimha Rao and N.D. Tiwari.^[4][5][6] However the Congress Parliamentary Party elected P.V. Narasimha Rao as its leader and he was sworn in as Prime Minister on June 21, 1991. Rao decided to induct Pawar as Defence Minister. On June 26, 1991, Pawar took over as that portfolio, continuing till March 1993. After Pawar's successor in Maharashtra, Sudhakarrao Naik stepped down, Rao sent Pawar back as chief minister of the state.

He was sworn in as chief minister for his fourth and most controversial term^{[citation needed]} on March 6, 1993. Almost immediately, Mumbai, the financial capital of India and the state capital of Maharashtra, was rocked with series of bomb blasts on March 12, 1993.

Mid 1990s[link]

The Deputy Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, G R Khairnar made a series of accusations against Pawar for being involved in corruption and protecting the criminals.^[7][8] Though Khairnar could not produce any evidence in support of his claims, it inevitably affected Pawar's popularity. Notable social worker Anna Hazare started a fast unto death to demand expulsion of 12 officers of the Forest department of Government of Maharashtra, who had been accused of corruption. The opposition parties accused Pawar's government of trying to shield the corrupt officers. The 1994 Gowari stampede occurred at Nagpur during the Winter Session of Maharashtra State Assembly and killed 114 people. Nagpur Police were trying to disperse almost 50000 Gowari protesters using baton charge but it created panic and triggered stampede amongst protesters.^[9] Allegations were made that the mishap occurred because welfare minister Madhukarrao Pichad did not meet with the delegation of the Vanjara people in time. Though Pichad stepped down owing moral responsibility for the mishap, this incident was another setback to Sharad Pawar's government.

The elections to the Vidhan Sabha were due to be held in 1995. The Shiv Sena and BJP combine was leading the Congress in the polls, and thess in the polls, and there was widespread rebellion in the Congress party. The Shiv Sena-BJP combine won 138 seats while Congress party retained only 80 seats in the state assembly. Sharad Pawar had to step down and Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi took over as chief minister on March 14, 1995.

Till the Lok Sabha elections of 1996, Sharad Pawar served as the Leader of the Opposition in State Legislative Council. In the 1996 General elections, he won from the Baramati seat and has not returned to the State Assembly since.

1997 till date[link]

In June 1997, he unsuccessfully challenged Sitaram Kesri for the post of Congress President. In the mid-term parliamentary elections of 1998, Sharad Pawar not only won from his constituency, Baramati but also led the Congress to an emphatic win in Maharashtra. His move to align with the Republican Party of India (Athvale) and Samajwadi Party for the elections in the state brought rich dividents and the Congress party and allies won 37 seats out of 48 in the state. Sharad Pawar served as Leader of Opposition in 12th Lok Sabha.

After 12th Lok Sabha was dissolved and elections to 13th Lok Sabha were due, Pawar, P.A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar demanded that the Congress Party needed to project someone born in India as the Prime Ministerial candidate and not the Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, who had entered party politics and replaced Kesri as Congress President.

In June 1999, Pawar and Sangma founded the Nationalist Congress Party. His party had to align with the Congress party to form a coalition government in Maharashtra as neither party could win an absolute majority on its own in the 1999 assembly elections. Pawar, however, did not return to state politics, and Vilasrao Deshmukh of the Congress was chosen as Chief Minister, with Chagan Bhujbal representing the NCP as his deputy. The alliance has endured at the national and state level to this day.

After 2004 Lok Sabha elections, he joined the United Progressive Alliance government headed by Manmohan Singh as the Minister of Agriculture.

On November 29, 2005, he was elected President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

He was appointed Union Minister of Agriculture and of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution on May 28, 2009

In Jan 2012, He announced that he will not contest the next Lok Sabha election (Upcoming in 2014) and make way for a younger leadership, a move that is bound to create a stir in his party as well as the Congress.^[10] Al though at 71, his retirement plans put the focus on the claims of his nephew Ajit Pawar as also daughter Supriya Sule.

Links with criminals[link]

In 2002–03, the then Maharashtra Chief Minister Sudhakarrao made a statement that the state leader of Indian National Congress party and erstwhile Chief Minister Sharad Pawar, had asked him to "go easy on Pappu Kalani", a well known criminal-turned-politician now.^[11] Shiv Sena Chief, Bal Thakare, had later concurred with these allegations.^[12] Further, Sudhakarrao also alleged that it was possible that Kalani and Hitendra Thakur, another criminal-turned-politician from Virar, had been given tickets to contest election for Maharashtra State Legislature at the behest of Sharad Pawar who also put in a word for Naik with the police when the latter was arrested for his role in post-Babri Masjid Demolition riots in Mumbai.^[13]

Sharad Pawar is also alleged to have close links with the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim^[14] through Ibrahim's henchman Lakhan Singh based in the Middle East and close relationship with Shahid Balwa, also a suspect in the 2G spectrum scam. These allegations were strengthened by the revelation about Balwa's business partner, Vinod Goenka's controversial commercial project in Yerawada, Pune, being constructed on the same survey number as Pawar's family friend, Atul Chordia, had constructed the Panchshil Tech Park. Khadse alleged that it was Balwa who had applied for environmental clearance for the two projects, a charge that Chordia refuted. Coincidentally, Chordia's Panchshil Pvt Ltd has Pawar's daughter, Supriya Sule, and her husband Sadanand as investors.^[15] The state government's decision to hand over a 3-acre plot of the Yerawada police station for "re-development" to Balwa's construction was retracted following Balwa's arrest.

Criticism and allegations of corruption[link]

Stamp-Paper Scam Connection Controversy[link]

Abdul Karim Telgi cited Pawar's name in relation to the 600 billion rupee stamp-paper scam, during a narcoanalysis filmed by various Indian news channels, wherein he also mentioned Chhagan Bhujbal^[16]

Controversial Wheat Imports[link]

In 2007, the BJP asked for Pawar's resignation after alleging he was involved in a multi-crore scam involving wheat imports. In May 2007 a tender floated by the Food Corporation of India for procurement of wheat was cancelled when the lowest bid received was for 263 USD/ton. The government subsequently allowed private traders to purchase wheat directly from farmers that year resulting in a paucity of wheat to stock FCI granaries. By July 2007 the shortage at FCI was large enough to require import of wheat at a much higher price of 320–360 USD/ton. Taking advantage of this, traders who had domestically purchased wheat at 900 INR/ton earlier, were now offering the same to FCI at 1,300 INR/ton.^[17][18]

Land Allotment[link]

On October 27, 2007, the Bombay High Court served notices to institutions headed by Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar and Sadanand Sule (Sharad Pawar's son-in-law) along with a corresponding notice served to the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) on why special privileges were given to Pawar and his family. This was done in consideration of a Public Interest Litigation No. 148 of 2006, filed by Shamsunder Potare alleging that the land said allocations in Pune, made in 2002, were illegal. The institutions and properties mentioned include:

• Two 141.15-acre (0.5712 km²) plots given allotted to Vidya Pratishthan, an educational society headed by Sharad Pawar
• A 2-acre (8,100 m²) plot allotted to Anant Smriti Pratishthan, headed by Ajit Pawar, the Maharashtra state minister for irrigation and Sharad Pawar's nephew
• A 130,000 square metre (32.12 acre) plot allotted to Lavasa Corporation, owned by Sadanand Sule, Sharad Pawar's son-in-law at the time. He handed over his stake in 2006.
• A 1-acre (4,000 m²) plot allotted to Shivajinagar Agriculture College
• A 3-acre (12,000 m²) plot allotted to Sharadchandraji Scout and Guide Training Institute

These allocations were made allegedly under NCP leader and minister Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar who was in charge of MKVDC at the time.^[19][20] Sharad Pawar was served a contempt of court notice on May 1, 2008 in connection with this case for issuing statements to the press even though the matter was subjudice at the time, that was later rejected by the court. Also in connection with the case, the respondents were directed not to create third-party interests in the property under dispute and to undertake any developments at their own risk.^[21][22]

IPL Exemption From Tax Controversy[link]

In 2010, In case of IPL exemption from tax, Shiv Sena MLA Subhash Desai had alleged that state cabinet decided in January this year to impose the tax, before this year's IPL season started, but the decision was not implemented because of NCP chief Sharad Pawar's association with BCCI.^[23] Bombay High Court on August 2010 said there was "nothing on record" to show that the Union Minister influenced the Maharashtra government's decision to exempt Indian Premier League matches from entertainment tax.^[24]

Controversy Faced After Assets Declaration[link]

In 2011, Sharad Pawar declared his assets to be worth 12 crore as part of a mandatory disclosure, but his critics claimed that his wealth far exceeded the stated amount.^[25][26] In 2010, it was alleged that the Pawar family indirectly held a 16% stake in the City Corporation, which had bid 1176 crore for the IPL Pune franchise. Pawar and his family denied the allegations, but the IPL bidder's board resolution contradicted their claims.^[27][28][29]

Nira Radia's Controversial Allegations[link]

In 2011, Under investigation of 2G spectrum scam Corporate Nira Radia has told the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar may be controlling the controversial DB Realty, media reports said on Thursday. According to the reports, she also told the investigative agency that he may have spoken with former telecom minister A Raja about the allocation of spectrum and licence to Swan Telecom. Radia also said that she had no documentary proof to back up her allegation.^[30] Pawar has denied any link with former DB managing director Shahid Balwa who is now in CBI custody.

Criticism Faced After Extreme Hike in Prices of Agricultural Produce[link]

As the Cabinet Minister for Agriculture, Pawar was consistently accused of being incapable of handling the extreme hike in prices of agricultural produce:

• Wheat import in 2007 – Bombay High Court issued notices to Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, questioning the decision to import defective red wheat and to submit details of procurement of the crop from different states and the exact process of importing it.^[31]
• Sugar prices in 2009 – Opposition parties, including the BJP and the CPI(M) accused Sharad Pawar of engineering a steep rise in the price of sugar to the advantage of hoarders and importers.^[32]
• Onion prices in 2010–11 – The opposition have accused him to be responsible on the same issue.^[33][34][35]

Slapping Incident[link]

This section's representation of one or more viewpoints about a controversial issue may be unbalanced or inaccurate. Please improve the article or discuss the issue on the talk page.(December 2011)

Pawar was slapped by a youth named Harvinder Singh at a the New Delhi Municipal Corporation centre while leaving the premises after attending a literary function on 24 November 2011.^[36] The attacker, who previously is said to have assaulted former telecom minister Sukh Ram, was later arrested.

Motivation[link]

Harvinder Singh is an auto-rickshaw driver and has no political affiliations. He said after slapping Pawar in Hindi that 'He is a thief, they are all thieves'. He said that he slapped Pawar because of corruption and price-rise.

Reactions[link]

All leading political parties in India condemned the attack.^[37] Some politicians argued that violence should not be used as a means of raising concern.^[38][39]

The youth who slapped Pawar was highly praised on YouTube^[40] by common people, however politicians argued that violence should not be used as a means of raising concern.^[38][39] There were also several fan pages created on Facebook.^[41][42] There were parallels drawn with revolutionary and martyr Bhagat Singh,^[43] and pages advocating the shaming of more corrupt politicians.^[44]

India Today reported that the opinion of its online readers was in favour of further shaming of corrupt people holding public office.^[45] There was also widespread criticism of the NCP's call for a bandh.^[46][47] DNA India's readers also praised the^[48] attack on Sharad Pawar and expressed happiness that someone of them did this to a corrupt politician like Pawar.

The Times of India reported that Harvinder has been attacked multiple times, since being released from police custody once on January 15 and then again on February 25.^[49]

Kolaveri parody[link]

A parody of Why This Kolaveri Di, a track from a Tamil movie '3' which is honored by YouTube with a Gold Award for getting the most number of hits,^[50] based on the Sharad Pawar slapping incident, known as "Chamaat Song"^[51] (Slap Song) was posted on YouTube . This track is listed in "Top 10 Versions of 'Kolaveri Di' Song"^[52] by the Times of India. The track received 964,729 hits by evening of 2 December 2011, within a week of its release on 25 November.^[53]

Promotion of Endosulfan[link]

Even though Endosulfan has been banned, India is the only one country which is against global banning of Endosulfan. In spite of its known negative health effects, Sharad Pawar made a remark that Endosulfan is not yet proved dangerous. This remark prompted activist Vandana Shiva to call him a corrupt minister.^[54][55][56]

Sports Administration[link]

Pawar has interests in kabbadi, kho kho, wrestling and football. He has served as the head of various sports organizations, including

• Mumbai Cricket Association
• Maharashtra Wrestling Association
• Maharashtra Kabbadi Association
• Maharashtra Kho Kho Association
• Maharastra Olympics Association
• Board of Control for Cricket in India President 2005–2008
• International Cricket Council Vice President^[57]
• International Cricket Council President^[58]

Pawar was president of Pune International Marathon Trust, which host Pune International Marathon for last 22 years.

The Annual Cycling race from Bombay to Pune, is also held c/o. him. Its usually on the Sunday closest to his birthday, 12 Dec.

See also[link]

• Ajit Pawar, Dy. Chief Minister of Maharashtra and MLA, his nephew.
• Supriya Sule, his daughter, MP Loksabha.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• P. K. Ravindranath (February 1, 1992) Sharad Pawar- the making of a modern maratha South Asia Books. ISBN 81-85674-46-9
• Page 23 of the Times of India, New Delhi, Tu of India, New Delhi, Tuesday, December 12, 2006
• Profile at BBC News
• Profile at Govt. of India website

Umesh Yadav  pronunciation (help·info)(born 25 October 1987) is an Indian cricketer who currently plays for Vidarbha. A right arm Fast bowling bowler, Yadav has played for Vidarbha at domestic level since 2008. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut against Zimbabwe in May 2010. The following year, in November, Yadav made his Test debut against the West Indies.

Personal life and early career[link]

Yadav's father is a coal miner. Before becoming a professional cricketer, Umesh Yadav intended to become a police officer.^[1] On 3 November 2008 he made his first-class debut for Vidarbha against Madhya Pradesh in the 2008–09 Ranji Trophy. His first wicket was that of Himalaya Sagar who was out bowled; Yadav did not bowl in Madhya Pradesh' second innings, but in the first claimed four wickets for 72 runs (4/72) as his team lost by ten wickets.^[2] He played in four Vidarbha's Ranji matches that season, taking 20 wickets at an average of 14.60 with best figures of 6/105.^[3][4] Also in the 2008/09 season, Yadav made his one-day debut.^[5] Bought by Delhi Daredevils in 2008 for $30,000,^[6] Yadav made his debut in the Indian Premier League in 2010, taking 6 wickets in as many matches at an average of 30.66.^[7][8]

International breakthrough[link]