Athawale's 'bond' with Trump

Republican Party of India (A) chief Ramdas Athawale is travelling to the United States shortly. On Thursday, Athawale walked up to Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar in the Rajya Sabha. The two are not only colleagues in the Upper House, but also hail from the same state, Maharashtra. Athawale, whose party is an ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, told Pawar that during his visit to the US he wished to meet US President Donald Trump. Athawale, the minister of state for social justice and empowerment in the Narendra Modi-led government, requested Pawar to use his influence and contacts in the US to facilitate his appointment with Trump. “But why do you want to meet Trump,” Pawar, according to another member of Parliament who heard the conversation, asked Athawale. “Isn’t it obvious that our respective parties have fraternal bonds," pat came Athawale’s reply. He explained that Trump leads the Republican Party in the US, while he is the head of the Republican Party in India.