A sharp political controversy has gripped Maharashtra after a video went viral showing ministers, elected leaders, and senior officials eating cashews and almonds during an official drought review meeting at the District Planning Hall in Nanded on Saturday, 19 September 2026. The meeting had been convened to assess severe agricultural distress and crop losses across Marathwada, making the optics of dry-fruit platters particularly damaging.

Fadnavis Calls for Greater Sensitivity

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, speaking to reporters in Nagpur, defended the practice as a routine administrative convention while acknowledging the optics problem. 'It is a standard administrative protocol to provide dry fruits during official meetings. No one does this intentionally to mock the drought situation. However, the administration must keep ground realities in mind and act with greater sensitivity. Such practices should be avoided under these circumstances,' Fadnavis said.

His remarks amounted to a rare public rebuke of bureaucratic conduct even as he stopped short of ordering a formal inquiry into the incident.

Shirsat Passes Blame to Officials

Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat, who was absent from the Nanded meeting due to prior commitments, said responsibility for the arrangements lay with the bureaucracy, not elected representatives. 'I did not attend as I had pre-scheduled engagements, and Agriculture Minister Datta Bhaarne was handling the responsibilities alongside the attending officers. It is the officials who arrange cashews and almonds, but elected representatives end up facing public criticism. I will issue strict directives to the divisional commissioner regarding this matter,' Shirsat said.

His remarks reflect a familiar deflection pattern in Maharashtra politics, where ministers and civil servants routinely contest accountability after public controversies.

Opposition Demands Emergency Assembly Session

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar launched a pointed attack on the ruling alliance, accusing it of treating the drought as anything but a crisis. 'While the drought crisis across the state is extremely grave, the government shows zero seriousness and is busy relishing cashews and almonds. The state government must immediately convene a special legislative assembly session to address the drought and offer concrete relief to farmers,' Pawar said.

The demand for a special session raises the political stakes significantly, as it would force a floor debate on relief measures at a moment when the government's handling of the agrarian distress is under scrutiny.

Emergency Relief Steps Outlined

Separately, Chief Minister Fadnavis detailed a package of emergency measures the state government has initiated in response to the drought, crop failure, and anticipated water shortages.

According to Fadnavis, Cabinet ministers have been assigned to conduct ground-level reviews in their respective districts. Preliminary assessments and loss evaluations (panchnamas) are to be completed within a week to accelerate financial assistance. The chief minister added that the loan waiver process is advancing, with three beneficiary lists already published and the remaining lists being compiled on priority.

Fadnavis also stated that the state is drawing on planning under its fodder development programme — originally framed in response to the El Niño threat — to arrange fodder and drinking water for the worst-hit zones. To protect standing crops, additional electricity is being provided to farmers during evening hours, including in single-phase supply zones where wells retain water. Water reserves in major reservoirs, he added, are being strictly ring-fenced for drinking use to prevent shortages, especially in areas served by smaller, depleted dams.

Whether these measures reach drought-hit farmers in time — and whether the symbolic damage from the viral video lingers — will be closely watched in the weeks ahead.