NCP (SP)’s Nilesh Lanke.
Credit: X/@Nilesh_LankeMLA
Pune: The NCP on Friday slammed the NCP (SP) after the Sharad Pawar-led party’s newly elected Ahmednagar MP Nilesh Lanke visited the house of a Pune man with a criminal background.
A few months ago, NCP president and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar had sparked a controversy after he visited the home of the history-sheeter, Gajanan Marne, also known as Gajya Marne.
Ajit Pawar had described the visit as wrong and said his son should have avoided meeting a person with a criminal record.
A video recently emerged on social media showing Marne felicitating Lanke at his Pune home.
As the visuals came out, NCP leader Amol Mitkari criticised Lanke’s visit to the goon’s place and questioned the “silence” of the NCP (SP) spokespersons about the meeting.
“When Parth Pawar called on Marne, Ajit Dada had expressed disappointment and said the meeting should have been avoided. But today, Nilesh Lanke is meeting Marne with great respect and accepting his congratulations,” Mitkari remarked.
Lanke, who emerged as a “giant killer” in the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha constituency, defeated BJP's incumbent MP Sujay Vikhe Patil.
Mitkari also wondered if the NCP (SP) took the help of criminals to win the Ahmednagar and Baramati Lok Sabha seats. “It should be probed if the NCP (SP) received Marne’s support in the elections,” he added.
In Baramati, Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule registered her fourth consecutive win by defeating Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar.
Without naming NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar, Mitkari questioned the “childish” leader who had accused NCP of misconduct involving the PDCC Bank at Bhor in Pune district and had asked why it had remained open past midnight a day before the polls in Baramati on May 12.
Meanwhile, NCP (SP) leader Vidya Chavan told a Marathi news channel that she would speak to Lanke to understand what prompted his visit to Marne and his acceptance of the felicitation. “Wrong is wrong. Whether it’s Lanke or anyone else, no one is supporting it,” she asserted.