Sharad Pawar meets Modi, sets off anxiety in Opposition camp

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 17

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Saturday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi setting off anxiety in the opposition camp which was left guessing the purpose of the visit.

Pawar, 80, spent an hour with the PM at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. The bonhomie of the meeting was evident with both leaders tweeting pictures.

Pawar in his Twitter post said he met the PM and discussed “issues of national interest”.

The meeting came just a day after leader of Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal called on Pawar at the latter’s residence.

The meetings come on the eve of the monsoon session of Parliament starting July 19, with the government planning to pilot several key bills, including the DNA Technology Bill.

The government would also face the opposition heat on issues related to fuel price rise, Covid response, slow pace of Covid vaccination, economic downturn and farmers’ issues.

Pawar, former defence and agriculture minister, was also briefed on Friday by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the security situation with respect to China and Pakistan.

The meeting also followed a recent spate of engagements Pawar had with non-BJP political and social activists under the banner of Rashtra Manch floated by former NDA minister Yashwant Sinha in 2019.

Whole of last week, it was speculated that poll strategist Prashant Kishor was trying to assess Pawar’s strength as a joint opposition candidate for the next year’s presidential election.

Pawar, however, denied any such move.

Government’s growing closeness to Pawar (Piyush Goyal met him, Rajnath Singh arranged a briefing for him and former defence minister AK Antony and on Saturday the PM met him) has caused consternation in the larger opposition camp which was perplexed about what the Maratha strongman had up his sleeve.