Pune: Praising Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday called Baramati an exemplar of rural development.
“Anyone who wants to understand rural development must visit Baramati. I urge all MPs to do so. Though our political ideologies differ, Mr. Pawar’s passion for agricultural issues and his practical outlook have led to an enduring friendship between us,” Mr. Naidu said during a half-day visit at Mr. Pawar’s bastion.
Following his arrival at Baramati airport, Mr. Naidu, who was received by MP Supriya Sule and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, was taken on an extensive tour of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
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Mr. Naidu, with the NCP supremo by his side, visited the farmers training centre at the Kendra and interacted with members of the centre’s agriculture development trust. “The transformation brought in by the Vidya Pratishthan and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in the lives of ordinary people is truly impressive,” he said.
Incidentally, Mr. Ajit Pawar and local NCP leaders boycotted Mr. Naidu’s event in Pune on Thursday when the Vice-President inaugurated the new administration building of the Pune civic body.
In February 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mr. Pawar, heaping praise on the Baramati model of development. Same year, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis followed suit. On each occasion, the visits, ostensibly to discuss agriculture-related issues, were timed when relations between the BJP and the Shiv Sena had hit a new low.
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While both NCP and BJP leaders have downplayed the significance of these non-political visits, analysts have read a veiled message for the Sena.