Modi’s Baramati visit piques interest of political circles

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed visit to Baramati, stronghold of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar, in February has piqued the attention of political circles.

While the NCP has dismissed the possibility of a political alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, calling the Prime Minister’s trip a government programme, sources said Mr. Modi was likely to visit development projects in Baramati on an invitation by Mr. Pawar.

“He is coming to attend a programme of the Agriculture Science Centre. He will attend it as Prime Minister and not as political leader. I request all not to draw any political conclusions from this visit,” said Sunil Tatkare, president of NCP Maharashtra unit.

The NCP, however, asked Mr. Modi to analyse closely the “Baramati model of development.” “It would be great if he checks the model and plans to implement it elsewhere in the country,” Mr. Tatkare said.

Mr. Modi had lashed out at the Pawar family, including the NCP chief and his nephew Ajit Pawar, during the Assembly election campaign. The second Prime Minister after Indira Gandhi to campaign in Baramati, he called the NCP a party of the “corrupt” and appealed to voters to end dynastic politics by defeating Mr. Ajit Pawar. The latter won the election with the highest vote margin in the State.

However, the political equations changed drastically after the election results, when Mr. Pawar extended unilateral support from outside to the BJP. Following the Sena’s decision to join the Maharashtra government, the NCP declared that it would sit in the Opposition.