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Uddhav questions Modi on Tilak award, Pune Congress unit expresses displeasure
Speaking in Mumbai on Tuesday, Thackeray said he was surprised to read newspaper reports about Modi being conferred with the Lokmanya Tilak award and that too from NCP chief Sharad Pawar
PUNE:
A day after the Lokmanya Tilak award was announced to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, the Pune Congress unit expressed displeasure while Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray questioned the PM on how he will accept the award from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar whom he recently accused of being ‘corrupt’.
Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust on Monday announced that PM Modi will be conferred with Lokmanya Tilak National Award for 2023 in recognition of his ‘supreme leadership’ and for awakening the feeling of patriotism among citizens. Prominent among the invitees for the Award function next month in Pune includes NCP chief Sharad Pawar, while Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra on July 2 may also remain present.
Speaking in Mumbai on Tuesday, Thackeray said he was surprised to read newspaper reports about Modi being conferred with the Lokmanya Tilak award and that too from NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
“What happened to the ₹70,000 crore scam? Who all will be there on the stage? The NCP which is now with you in power was being accused by you as a Natural Corrupt party,” said Thackeray.
Earlier last month, while speaking in Bhopal, Modi had said there were allegations of scams of nearly ₹70,000 crore against NCP, including the Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam, irrigation scam, and illegal mining scam.
“Lokmanya Tilak asked the British government ‘Sarkarche Doke Thikanavar Ahe Ka? (Is the government out of its mind?)’ Now who should be asking this question?” asked Thackeray.
According to Tilak Smarak Trust, both Modi and Sharad Pawar have consented to come to the award ceremony. Rohit Tilak, who is vice president of Trust, and the Maharashtra Congress Pradesh General Secretary made the announcement.
Congress city unit president Arvind Shinde said, “Rohit Tilak is a Congress leader and at a time when party leadership Rahul Gandhi and the entire party is opposing PM Modi on various issues, it’s wrong to confer him with Lokmanya Tilak award. Congress party workers have expressed unhappiness over it.”
Shinde said, “Following serious displeasure from party workers, I have conveyed the sentiments to state leadership led by Nana Patole as well as to the central leadership. The Tilak family has been with the Congress party for the last many decades. This award is in the name of Lokmanya, but we are baffled why it is being given to PM Modi.”
The fourth-generation members of the Tilak family, who are also currently associated with Congress and part of the committee that decided on the award, said it is a non-political event and previously too leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee were given this award.
“Tilak award is a non-political function. In the last 40 years, the award has been given to personalities from different ideologies including those from Congress, BJP, and RSS,” Rohit Tilak said.
