BJP Shiv Sena workers clash in Kalyan ahead of polls
BJP Shiv Sena workers clash in Kalyan ahead of polls
Ahead of the polls, reportedly, nearly three months following Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders being upset with Eknath Shinde’s son Shrikant Shinde, Shiv Sena MP from Kalyan, over a molestation case filed against BJP’s Nandu Joshi, a clash was witnessed on Thursday amidst the two parties.
But, this time around, the row is
foreseeable to burgeon into a major controversy as BJP’s Kalyan unit leaders allege that on Wednesday, their workers were bashed up by Shiv Sena workers when they were painting walls with the lotus symbol as part of the party’s ongoing national campaign for the Lok Sabha polls eight months away.
It is learnt that the clash further led to an argument amidst former Shiv Sena Mahesh Gaikwad and BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad on WhatsApp on Thursday in which the latter threw a challenge to the former for a skirmish in Kalyan East.
The BJP workers led by Gaikwad reached the location and waited for Sena workers for a possible skirmish. However, the Kolsewadi police disseminated the tensions by whisking away Mahesh Gaikwad to the police station and brought the situation under control.
An offence was registered over Wednesday’s clash against four Shiv Sena workers at Kolsewadi police station.
As per BJP District President Narendra Suryavanshi said, their party has taken up a national programme of outreach in every ward and every booth and workers were painting the Lotus symbol in the ward of BJP former city president Sanjay More’s ward as part of the national programme when Shiv Sena’s Shinde group workers reached there. An argument ensued and thet beat up the party workers. None has the right to take the law in their hands. So the BJP Party lodged a complaint.
Suryavanshi made an attempt to play down the incident saying the BJP was in an ideological alliance with the Shiv Sena for the last 25 years. The party superiors have been informed about the incident, and they will do what they deem is necessary. Sometimes workers are aggressive and they don’t understand that their mistakes can lead to misunderstandings and embarrass their leadership.
BJP have had an ideological alliance with the Shiv Sena for the last 25 years. So incidents like these don’t affect it. As BJP workers, we are committed to making Narendra Modiji Prime Minister for one more term and we will continue to do our work.
However, BJP MLA from Thane Sanjay Kelkar, in-charge of Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency, condemned the incident and asked the Shiv Sena leadership to control its workers. He is updated on the happening in Kalyan and it is serious. Their leadership should control them. If the rubber band of patience is stretched too much, it can snap and then it will not be impossible to mend concluded Kelkar.
On whether the BJP would contest the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat, Kelkar asserted that it’s a different thing altogether and will be decided by the party leadership during seat sharing discussions.
The party’s objective is to take guardianship of the constituency and whoever contests the seat, it will be towards strengthening Modiji.
In June, the BJP leaders in Kalyan were upset when a molestation case was being registered against Dombivli leader Nandu Joshi allegedly at the behest of Kalyan sitting MP Dr Shrikant Shinde.
The squabbling had burgeoned into major differences amidst Shiv Sena and BJP and Shinde had accused the Kalyan leaders of indulging in “selfish politics” and had offered to resign. The differences had led to the ad headlined “Modi for India, Shinde for Maharashtra” showing PM Narendra Modi and Eknath Shinde. Both the parties had then tried to calm down their local party units and resolved to work together for 2024.
News Edit K.V.Raman
