The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee attended a felicitation function organized on the occasion of 75thbirthday of Shri Sharad Pawar today (December 10, 2015) in New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, the President described Shri Pawar as one of the outstanding political leaders of our time.During his tenure as Minister for Agriculture, the country witnessed record levels of agricultural production. The policies he initiated played a significant role in India becoming one of the largest producers of wheat and rice and turning from a net importer to exporter.

The President thanked Shri Pawar for bringing together the entire cross section of Indian political leadership on the occasion of his birthday and said this reflects the inherent strength of Indian democracy wherein political leaders do come together on occasion irrespective of party, ideology and approach. The President said the fact that Shri Pawar has an uninterrupted legislative career since 1967 shows how acceptable he is to the people and the confidence that he enjoys amongst the public. He was greatly surprised when Shri Pawar who had been Defence Minister earlier asked in 2004 for the Agriculture portfolio. But, he later realized how wise Shri Pawar’s decision was in this regard.

The President complimented Shri Pawar for converting his constituency, Baramati into a prosperous area by use of technology even though it was devoid of any natural resources, including water. He said Baramati is now a model which could be replicated anywhere. The President also recalled that Mumbai blasts took place within a week of Shri Pawar returning to Maharashtra as Chief Minister in 1993. He brought back normalcy to the economic centre of India within a short time and the media applauded his performance with the heading ‘Salaam Bombay, Salaam Pawarji’.

Vice President Mohd. Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Speaker Lok Sabha Smt. Sumitra Mahajan and leaders of different political parties attended the function.

This Press Release issued at 2000 hrs.