A brief exchange between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a Maharashtra farmer at Revati Sule’s Delhi wedding reception has caught the internet’s attention. The man seen approaching Modi with his phone was identified as Mithilesh Desai, a Ratnagiri-based farmer and entrepreneur known for cultivating several varieties of jackfruit and promoting its processing and commercial use.
A video from the reception shows Modi sitting on a sofa as Desai walks up to him in a black jacket. After greeting the Prime Minister, Desai takes out his phone and appears to show him something on the screen.
Modi appears to listen carefully while Desai explains what he is showing. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar can also be seen sitting nearby.
The short interaction prompted social media users to ask who the man was. Desai’s identity soon emerged, along with his unusual connection to jackfruit farming.
So, who is Mithilesh Desai?
Desai is from Zapad village in Lanja taluka of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, and comes from a farming family. His father, Harishchandra Desai, began working with different jackfruit varieties around 2000 after bringing varieties from Kerala and growing them in Ratnagiri.
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