Pawar8217;s arrival ends speculation over Sonia visit

PUNE, JAN 22: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sharad Pawar today set aside all speculation by joining the two-day Maharashtra tour of A...

PUNE, JAN 22: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sharad Pawar today set aside all speculation by joining the two-day Maharashtra tour of All India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi.

Pawar, who had gone to Palakkad in Kerala for ayurvedic treatment on his knee, landed at Lohegaon airport by a private plane minutes before Gandhi was scheduled to arrive. Besides Pawar, several prominent Congress leaders including Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Prataprao Bhosale, V N Gadgil, Sushilkumar Shinde, Sandipan Thorat, Ashok Mohol, Vitthal Tupe, Madan Patil, all MPs had to wait at VIP longue at the airport since Gandhi arrived more than an hour behind schedule.

Congress sources said Pawar, who was scheduled to arrive in Maharashtra on January 27 after completing the treatment, preferred to join Sonia Gandhi8217;s visit to Maharashtra following hot speculation in the media. The sources said Pawar took the decision to take a day8217;s break from his treatment as his absence would have sent wrongsignals among the party workers. They added that Pawar8217;s absence also might have disappointed Sonia Gandhi.

The sources close to Pawar said Pawar took the decision to come back to Maharashtra a day before Sonia8217;s visit. The sources said Pawar would go along with Sonia Gandhi to Ichalkaranji where she would inaugurate the Indira Gandhi Cooperative Spinning Mill, run by women. Pawar, however, is unlikely to attend Sonia Gandhi8217;s two other functions one at Aidalabad in Jalgaon district and another at Shrirampur in Ahmednagar district.

Pawar8217;s absence at Shrirampur function has raised many an eyebrows among the Congress leaders since Shrirampur INTUC rally has been organised by his one-time lieutenant Govindrao Adik, who has been toeing an anti-Pawar line in the recent past. The sources close to Pawar said Pawar would go back to Mumbai after attending Ichalkaranji function and would fly over to Kerala to continue his medical treatment. A number of Pawar supporters were conspicuous by their absence at theairport. About 300 Congress workers were present at the airport to welcome their leader.

Pawar and other Congress leaders also attended the dinner hosted by Sonia Gandhi at the university lawns.