NCP president Sharad Pawar stressed the need for all like-minded parties to join hands to resolve various issues like hunger, poverty, unemployment and the agrarian crisis facing the country after Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao called on him at his residence.

Pawar told reporters that Telangana had taken good steps for the welfare of farmers which were a model for the rest of the country. "Our focus is only on development, development and development. We will meet again," he said. Rao travelled to Silver Oak, the south Mumbai resident of Pawar, after meeting Shiv Sena president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's official residence 'Varsha' in the afternoon. Rao, who was present at the press briefing along with Pawar, said the NCP chief had been supporting the movement for the creation of a separate Telangana state since 1969.