Pune: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) stalwart Sharad Pawar on stage during Lokmanya Tilak National Award event in Pune on Tuesday. PM Modi is in Pune to receive the Lokmanya Tilak National Award. PM Narendra Modi and Sharad Pawar greeted each other with a smile during the event. Opposition parties are protesting against the event for PM's silence over Manipur violence. NCP being a part of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra, still Sharad Pawar agreed to confer the Lokmanya Tilak National Award to PM Narendra Modi.
Amid protests by the Opposition parties Sharad Pawar claimed the Tilak Award is an apolitical event and also snubbed Pune Congress leaders over the event. As per reports, Sharad Pawar is upset with Congress leaders for targetting him for attending the event.
Ahead of the Lokmanya Tilak Award event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed aarti at Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Mandir in Pune. After the awards event Narendra Modi will also flag off metro trains and inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various development projects.
PM Narendra Modi pays homage to Lokmanya Tilak
PM Narendra Modi in a tweet paid homage to freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak. He said "I pay homage to Lokmanya Tilak on his Punya Tithi. I will be in Pune today, where I will accept the Lokmanya Tilak National Award. I am indeed humbled that I have been conferred this award which is closely associated with the work of such a great personality of our history."