Pawar meets PM, flags concerns over new ministry
NEW DELHI: NCP president Sharad Pawar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Saturday, and both leaders held talks on a number of issues in a nearly hour-long meeting. The Prime Minister’s Office tweeted a picture of their meeting but shared no details about their talks.
In a tweet Pawar said, “Met the Hon. Prime Minister of our country Shri Narendra Modi. Had a discussion on various issues of national interest.”
Apart from meeting PM Modi, Pawar, 80, also wrote him a letter, flagging concerns on the Ministry of Cooperation.
He said cooperative banking sector is a state subject. Citing Supreme Court judgments, he said that any attempt of interference by the Centre will be a breach of the Constitution.
“This meeting was due for many days and a time was found today. A leader from Maharashtra meeting the Prime Minister has nothing to do with anything else... We expect that the PM will consider all requests of the banking sector,” NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik said.
“Even Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was apprised of this meeting,” he added.
The NCP shares power with the Shiv Sena and the Congress in Maharashtra as part of the MVA government that was formed after the 2019 Assembly elections.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) tweeted a picture of the meeting between Pawar and Modi that lasted nearly an hour, during which they held talks on a number of issues.
The meeting comes two days before Parliament’s Monsoon session starts on Monday.
A veteran leader widely recognised for his political acumen, Pawar is the main architect of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra and is seen as a lynchpin for any future opposition alliance against the BJP.
Squabble among alliance partners over one issue or another has often come to the fore, with state Congress president Nana Patole’s frequent digs at other two partners -- the Shiv Sena and the NCP -- making news of late. The 80-year-old veteran leader is also known for his warm relations with politicians across party affiliations.
Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Piyush Goyal had met Pawar on Friday.
While the defence minister had briefed Pawar, also a former defence minister, on the border row involving China, Goyal had met him as part of the government’s outreach to opposition leaders before the session starts.