Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award from the Tilak Smarak Trust on August 1. Sharad Pawar will also be in attendance at the event. However, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders are urging Sharad Pawar to refrain from attending the event alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Congress, an ally of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, has also requested Sharad Pawar to reconsider his participation in the event.
Chief Trustee Deepak Tilak will present the award to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking the first time Sharad Pawar and Narendra Modi will share a platform since the NCP split. Initially, there were debates on Sharad Pawar's attendance, but Rohit Tilak is now confident about his presence. Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad has made an appeal to Sharad Pawar on this matter.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to Pune. Sharad Pawar will be attending the event. However, as a part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, we request him to think once before going,” Varsha Gaikwad said.
“As a part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, we are reaching out to the masses about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Manipur incident, condemning it. How appropriate is it to be on stage with someone who has not been to Manipur? The Congress appeals to Sharad Pawar to think about it at least once," said Gaikwad.
"Women in Manipur were seeking help, but the central government just watched as a spectacle. The country's Prime Minister was busy with foreign trips, but they had no time to go to Manipur, they did not help at all.” She added.