MUMBAI: A controversial decision by NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar to grace the event alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent shockwaves through the united Opposition. The stage is set for a high-stakes encounter, with Pawar’s presence on the same dais as the Prime Minister igniting a firestorm of criticism from his fellow opposition members. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be awarded the Lokmanya Tilak National Award at an event in Pune on Tuesday. Furthermore, the event promises to be an electrifying spectacle, with all eyes fixed on the much-awaited reunion of Pawar and his estranged nephew, Ajit Pawar, adding a tantalizing twist to the unfolding drama.
“Sharad Pawar should seriously consider whether he wants to share the dais with a person who is responsible for issues like Manipur and the murder of democracy, and who has not followed the principles of Tilak. People want Sharad Pawar not to attend the program with someone who has threatened the country’s democracy, constitution, Shivaji, Shahu, Phule, Ambedkar. But Sharad Pawar is going to the program in Pune, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Sharad Pawar is his guru, he came into politics holding his finger. Now, in the same Pune, guru and disciple are coming together in a program, but whatever Narendra Modi is doing, it is our expectation that Guru Sharad Pawar should make his disciple Narendra Modi aware that he is against the ideology of Lokmanya Tilak,” said Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe.
Despite opposition from the new joint opposition, Sharad Pawar has chosen to attend the event, citing his respect for the legacy of Tilak.
The key event will also see Ajit Pawar sharing the same dais with his uncle, Sharad Pawar, for the first time since his dramatic defection to BJP. Maharashtra has witnessed a series of power shifts – from Maha Vikas Aghadi to Fadnavis and Shinde government, and then Fadnavis, Shinde, and Ajit Pawar government. Ajit Pawar’s rebellion against NCP had created a deep divide, with him claiming loyalty to Sharad Pawar, while the senior leader maintained that he was no longer part of the NCP.
The Lokmanya Tilak Award is given in memory of Bal Gangadhar Tilak – Lokmanya Tilak and is awarded on 1st August, Lokmanya Tilak’s death anniversary, since 1983. The parameters for the selection of this award are a remarkable and extraordinary contribution to the development of the country.
As per the schedule accessed by TNI, PM will first perform Darshan and Pooja at Dagdusheth Mandir around 11.00 am. At 11:45 am, he will be conferred with the Lokmanya Tilak National Award. Thereafter, at 12:45 pm, the Prime Minister will flag off metro trains and inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various development projects.
The Tilak family has been closely associated with Congress, and this particular trust also has trustees like Tilak’s grandson, Rohit Tilak, and Sushil Kumar Shinde, former Union minister and senior Congress leader. Nevertheless, Modi is not the first BJP government to receive this award; Atal Bihari Vajpayee also received it. PM Modi is the 41st recipient of the award, and before him, others like Shankar Dayal Sharma, Pranab Mukherjee, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indira Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, N R Narayana Murthy, and E Sreedharan have received it.