AURANGABAD: The Congress and NCP kicked off a joint campaign for the Lok Sabha election from Nanded, home turf of Congress state chief Ashok Chavan, on Wednesday.After paying tributes to the CRPF jawans killed in the terrorist strike in Pulwama, J&K, on February 14 and carrying lit candles as a mark of respect, top guns from the two parties and their allies launched a scathing attack on the Modi government saying it had failed the nation on checking terrorism, failed farmers with hollow farm loan waiver promises and failed the youth with talk of jobs that did not exist.Addressing a sizeable gathering, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said terrorist attacks in Kashmir on law enforcing agencies and civilians had increased since 2014, when the Narendra Modi government was sworn in. "This government cannot protect us,'' he said, adding that the government ought to take lessons from prime ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi, who forced Pakistan to eat humble pie.Terming the farm loan waiver scheme a farce, Pawar said farmers were being harassed. "They are asked to produce one document after another and deprived of benefits," Pawar said.He said that after the suicide of farmers in Yavatmal during the term of the UPA government, PM Manmohan Singh waived Rs 71,000 crore of farm loans. "This government has done nothing, except making tall claims," he said.Pawar reminded his audience that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was close to Buldhana when the last rites of the two CRPF soldiers from the state were being held in that district. "Yet he did not visit the families of the martyrs," the NCP chief said.The NCP chief questioned the prime minister's claim that demonetisation had checked black money and terrorism. Pawar said demonetisation hit housewives and the common people who needed money for family emergencies. He said the goods and services tax (GST) was implemented without proper planning and foresight, and it left the trading community reeling.Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief and Nanded MP Ashok Chavan spoke of the lack of employment opportunities for young people."The prime minister advises the youth to fry and sell pakoras instead of providing job opportunities," he said, taking potshots at the Shiv Sena-BJP poll alliance. "Tiger (Sena) has lost its pride and forgotten its fight for the rights of the people. Those who were talking of eliminating each other have embraced each other."Opposition leader in the legislative council Dhanajay Munde said this was the first joint election rally of the Congress and NCP.NCP strongman Chhagan Bhujbal, Congress politician Arif Naseem Khan and People's Republican Party president Jogendra Kawade were present at the rally.

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