- Thursday, February 27, 2025
The Indian PM is the 41st recipient of the award which has been conferred on a number of luminaries in the past.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi was on Tuesday (1) conferred with the Lokmanya Tilak National Award at an event in Pune in the western state of Maharashtra.
Modi, who is in the city to launch various development projects, received the prestigious award that was constituted by Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust four decades ago to honour the legacy of Tilak (1856-1920), one of India’s legendary freedom fighters.
I pay homage to Lokmanya Tilak on his Punya Tithi. I will be in Pune today, where I will accept the Lokmanya Tilak National Award. I am indeed humbled that I have been conferred this award which is closely associated with the work of such a great personality of our history.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 1, 2023
According to a statement by India’s Press Information Bureau, the award is given to people who have worked for the progress and development of the nation and whose contribution can only be looked upon as remarkable and extraordinary.
The award is presented every year on August 1, the death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak, the statement added.
The event also saw the presence of Sharad Pawar, chief of the Nationalist Congress Party, a big player of Maharashtra politics and one of the major opposition to Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. The party is currently witnessing an internal turmoil following a rebellion by Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Sharad, and his loyalists.
The senior Pawar, 82, was present at the ceremony as the chief guest.
Rohit Tilak, vice president of the trust, on Monday (31) confirmed that Pawar would attend the event to felicitate the prime minister. Besides, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, state governor Ramesh Bais and others were also present.
“There is no change in the programme. Pawar Saheb, who is the chief guest, will be attending the event. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, and Sushil Kumar Shinde, who is also a trustee, will also be attending the event,” Tilak added.
He also said that the trust is an apolitical body and the award has been given to people from all walks of life.
The award, which Modi got as its 41st recipient, has previously been presented to luminaries such as Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, Pranab Mukherjee, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indira Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, N R Narayana Murthy, E Sreedharan, among others.
Meanwhile, the youth wing of the opposition Indian National Congress put up posters with the message “Go Back Modi” in some parts of Pune as a mark of protest against the ongoing unrest in the north-eastern state of Manipur where more than 120 people have been killed and several hundreds injured.
(With PTI inputs)
