PM Modi, Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar Likely to Share Stage At Pune Event On August 1

The Pune trust selected PM Modi for the Tilak National Award and invited Sharad Pawar to the function as chief guest.

PM Modi is likely to share a stage with Sharad Pawar, and Ajit Pawar at an event on August 1.

Source : PTI/Getty

New Delhi: Amid a political crisis in Maharashtra after NCP leader Ajit Pawar joined the NDA government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to share a stage with Sharad Pawar, and Ajit Pawar at an event of Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Trust on August 1 in Pune, reported PTI. Notably, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar will share the platform for the first time after a split in the NCP.

The Pune trust selected PM Modi for the Tilak National Award and invited Sharad Pawar to the function as chief guest.

Another prominent leader invited to the event is Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar, who joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra as deputy chief minister on July 2 while eight MLAs of his camp were sworn in as ministers.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday targeted PM Modi over his comments on a "Rs 70,000 crore scam" by NCP.

“What happened to the Rs 70,000 crore scam? Who all will be there on the stage? That (the NCP) party is with you,” Thackeray told reporters.

Last month, while addressing booth workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bhopal, Modi had said that there were allegations of scams of nearly Rs 70,000 crore against NCP, including the Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam, irrigation scam, and illegal mining scam.

Thackeray slammed the BJP-led Centre over the alleged misuse of probe agencies to target Opposition parties, saying, "Time is cruel. When it turns against them, it will be difficult for them”.

PM Modi will be conferred with Lokmanya Tilak National Award in Pune on August 1, the 103rd death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak, while Sharad Pawar has been invited to the award ceremony as the chief guest, Trust president Deepak Tilak said in a release on Monday.

Modi has been selected for the award, comprising a memento and citation, in recognition of his "supreme leadership and for awakening the feeling of patriotism among citizens".

Other invitees include Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.