I.N.D.I.A leaders unhappy over Sharad Pawar sharing stage with Prime Minister Modi

A section of I.N.D.I.A leaders are not comfortable with NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar sharing the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune on August 1 when the latter will be given an award, as they believe it creates “bad optics” at a time they are fighting the ruling BJP with “new vigour”.

The issue came up during a meeting of I.N.D.I.A floor leaders in Parliament when a few leaders expressed concern about Pawar being the chief guest of the function in which Modi is honoured with the Lokmanya Tilak Award. There were suggestions that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge could speak to Pawar and persuade him not to attend the function, sources said.

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A top Opposition leader is learnt to have commented that one could wake a person who is asleep but not one who is pretending to sleep, indicating that Pawar may not be enthusiastic about any suggestion of not attending the meeting.

Sources said the leaders felt that the positives they gathered in the past couple of months through unity efforts would be wasted through such interactions. It also will not go well when Modi has attacked I.N.D.I.A calling it names, they said.

Pawar’s attendance also comes at a time the BJP engineered a split in NCP and a faction led by Ajit Pawar shifted allegiance to the NDA camp.

Pawar has been invited as the chief guest of the function being organised by Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust, which will be bestowing the award on Modi. The function is organised on the 103rd birth anniversary of Tilak.

At the function, Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar are also expected to attend.