JOIN USModi, Pawar share dais, shower praises
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar on Saturday shared dais, showered praises on each other and had lunch together, sparking speculations of increased bonhomie among the two leaders.
Modi’s whirlwind visit was a mix of politics, business, and agriculture. He inaugurated GE’s multi-modal manufacturing facility at Chakan, visited the Pawar-family run Vidya Pratisthan, inaugurated the Appasaheb Pawar Auditorium, addressed farmer’s rally at Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Baramati, where he laid the foundation stone of Centre of Excellence for Vegetable Production. Baramati in Pune district is the hometurf of the Pawar family. Modi had his lunch at Gobind Baug, the home of Pawar in Baramati, around 110 km from Pune.
The development comes in the wake of the strained relations between BJP and its alliance partner, Shiv Sena.
The year ahead is politically significant in Maharashtra as 15,000 gram panchayats, two zilla parishads, 15 panchayat samitis, five municipal corporations, eight municipalities and 130 municipal councils go to polls – where “local adjustments” would be significant.
It may be recalled ahead of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections Modi had targeted Pawar saying that the “chacha-bhitaje ki sarkar” needs to be brought down and described the NCP as a “naturally corrupt party”. After the polls, when the BJP fell short of numbers, the NCP offered “unconditional outside support” to the BJP to run the government. However, old ally Shiv Sena joined the government. But the war of words between the two saffron allies has intensified with Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray directly attacking Modi.
In his speech, Modi said: “Media will now dig out what I have said earlier, what Sharadrao has said earlier…but this is the beauty of democracy, where there is ‘vivad’ (debate) and ‘samvad’ (communication). We may have different political agenda, but it is towards the goal of development....After the function is over and I go back, he can speak against me, I can speak against him, but we are on the same page as far as development is concerned”
Modi said that not a single month have passed when we have not spoken at least two or three times. As he welcomed Modi, the Maratha strongman sought to clarify that their appearance together was for development and it should not be read politically.