Sharad Pawar To Share Stage With PM Modi And Ajit Pawar, Days After BJP Pulls Off Coup In NCP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to share the stage with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar for an award function, in Pune, Maharashtra on 1 August.

This comes against the recent tumultuous backdrop of Ajit Pawar engineering a split in the NCP, to join hands with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to be presented with the Lokmanya Tilak National Award in Pune, on 1 August.

The award, which includes a memento and citation, is being given to Prime Minister Modi in recognition of his exceptional leadership and his efforts to instill a sense of patriotism among the citizens.

NCP leader Sharad Pawar has been invited as the chief guest for the ceremony, while his rebel nephew Ajit Pawar are among the other invitees.

Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are also expected to be present.

The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) will be conferring the Lokmanya Tilak National Award on Prime Minister Modi on 1 August, coinciding with the 103rd death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak.

In a press release, Trust president Deepak Tilak said that this prestigious award is being given as a testament to Prime Minister Modi's remarkable leadership and his dedication to the concept of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, which has propelled India towards progress.

In a surprising move, Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs of NCP recently joined the Shinde led Shiv Sena-BJP government on 2 July, causing a shock in state politics.

After Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister, Sharad Pawar urged Prime Minister Modi to take action against those guilty of corruption, reminding him of his recent remarks about the "corruption" of NCP leaders.

Sharad Pawar further said, "It seems the Prime Minister has exonerated the NCP and all those against whom he had levelled allegations. I am happy today that he gave cabinet berths to some colleagues from NCP. It shows the allegations against corruption were not factual. I am thankful to the PM for this."

During a gathering with BJP booth workers in Bhopal, Prime Minister Modi had mentioned various allegations of scams amounting to Rs 70,000 crore, against the NCP.

The allegations included the Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam, irrigation scam, and the illegal mining scam.