Indo-Asian News Service, Mumbai/Pune, Feb 12: Considerable political interest has been generated as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar plan to have lunch together Saturday, which happens to be Valentine’s Day.
Modi will travel to the home of the Nationalist Congress Party chief in Baramati in Pune district after attending several events, including an expo at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Baramati, though NCP leaders claim it was nothing of political significance.
The meeting will be the highlight of Modi’s day-long visit to Maharashtra with engagements in Pune and Mumbai.
NCP state president Sunil Tatkare, not willing to be dragged into any political speculation, retorted Thursday, “What is wrong if the Prime Minister attends a function pertaining to development?”
Modi will arrive in Pune Saturday morning and proceed to Chakan for a function at General Electrical; then he will visit Vidya Pratisthan Sanstha in Baramati, attend the inauguration of the Appasaheb Pawar Hall, go to Krishi Vidyan Kendra, address a farmers’ meet, and finally lunch with Pawar at his home before flying to Mumbai.
On Wednesday, Fadnavis sought to downplay the meeting by saying that Modi was not visiting Baramati to meet Pawar, but to attend an agricultural science expo.
“If the exhibition is being conducted at some venue under a centrally-sponsored scheme, what is wrong if the prime minister goes to witness it,” Fadnavis asked.
He said that though there may be political differences between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the NCP, they would not treat Pawar as a political untouchable.
However, Modi’s visit to Maharashtra and a meeting with Pawar, coming shortly after the BJP’s rout in the Delhi assembly polls, followed by Shiv Sena’s bitter criticism of both Modi and the BJP, has naturally evoked great interest in political circles.