Pawar to honour PM Modi today
Some Opposition leaders, it is learnt, even met Pawar to convince him to not attend the Pune event, where as chief guest, he will confer the Lokmanya Tilak National Award on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
NCP president Sharad Pawar (PTI)
MUMBAI: Even as the third meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is all set to take place in Mumbai on August 25 and 26, one of the prominent leaders of the bloc, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar, will be sharing the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune on August 1.
Senior Pawar’s move has caused a lot of heartburn in the Opposition camp with parties and senior leaders overtly and covertly conveying to the NCP veteran that his sharing the stage with PM Modi could have negative implications for the coalition.
Some Opposition leaders, it is learnt, even met Pawar to convince him to not attend the Pune event, where as chief guest, he will confer the Lokmanya Tilak National Award on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputies, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, are also expected to mark their presence at the event. The function comes nearly a month after Ajit rebelled against his uncle, Sharad Pawar, along with eight other NCP MLAs to join the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in Maharashtra.
The Lokmanya Tilak Award is conferred by the Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust, whose trustee is Congress leader Rohit Tilak, great-grandson of freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
Tilak confirmed Sharad Pawar’s presence at the award function as the chief guest. “Even as the Monsoon Session is underway, Pawar will be attending the event and may leave for Delhi immediately,” he said.
