Poona:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the Lokmanya Tilak National Award in Pune on August 1 at an event where NCP chief Sharad Pawar has been invited as the chief guest, the organizers said on Monday. Prime Minister Modi has been selected for the award, which consists of a memento and a quote, in recognition of his supreme leadership and for instilling a sense of patriotism among the citizens.
The organizers said that Sharad Pawar has been invited to the ceremony as the chief guest, while his cousin and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar is one of the invitees.
“The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) will present the Lokmanya Tilak National Award to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 1, the 103rd anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak’s death,” said Trust President Deepak Tilak in a press release.
It said India climbed the ladder of progress under the supreme leadership of the prime minister under the concept of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
“PM Modi instilled the sense of patriotism among the citizens and put India on the global map. Recognizing his perseverance and efforts, highlighting his work, the trustees of the Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust have unanimously selected him for this award,” the release said.
Other invitees include Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
Notably, Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs from NCP joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government on July 2 in a move that shook state politics.
After Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy prime minister, Sharad Pawar reminded Prime Minister Modi of his recent comments about the “corruption” of NCP leaders and asked him to act against those at fault.
“It appears that the Prime Minister has cleared the NCP and all those against whom he had made accusations. I am pleased today that he has given cabinet seats to some of the NCP colleagues. It shows that the allegations against corruption were not factual. I am grateful to the PM for this,” Sharad Pawar had said.
While interacting with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists in Bhopal on June 27, Modi said there are allegations of defrauding nearly Rs 70,000 crore against NCP, including the Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam, irrigation scam and illegal mining scam.
At an event in 2016, Prime Minister Modi had said that Sharad Pawar held him during his early days in Gujarat politics.
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