Shiv Sena functionary covers Ajit Pawar's cut-out with black cloth in Pune; ally NCP protests

Pune: Shiv Sena Pune district president Surendra Jeware on Tuesday covered a cut-out of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar with a black cloth after the latter failed to attend a Ganesh festival organised by him, triggering a protest by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

As tension prevailed, police intervene and detained Jeware, who has organised the Ganesh festival in Pune district in the name of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The Shiv Sena is headed by Shinde, while his deputy Pawar leads the NCP. The Shiv Sena and the NCP are constituents of the ruling coalition Mahayuti along with the BJP.

Jeware has organised the 'Eknath Ganesh Festival' in Bhigwan Chowk in Baramati taluka and had put up large cut-outs of Shinde along with those of Pawar and another deputy CM Devendra Fandavis of the BJP at the venue.

According to Jeware, he had invited Pawar to inaugurate the festival.

"It was his responsibility to attend the event as we had three to four time urged him to come and inaugurate the festival. Dada (as Pawar is called) paid visits to small (Ganesh) mandals in Baramati (his home turf in Pune district), but did not show up at the Eknath Ganesh Festival. This was an insult to CM Shinde," opined Jeware.

He said as a mark of protest, they covered the cut-out of Pawar at the venue with a black cloth.

Following the incident, NCP workers staged a protest.

As the situation became tense, police intervened and detained Jeware, while municipal council authorities removed an arch carrying the name of the festival and cut-outs of Shinde and the two Deputy Chief Ministers.

When asked about Jeware's act, Pawar said there was no need for such a reaction.

The NCP president said he has been visiting mandals (groups which install Lord Ganesh idols during the 10-day festival dedicated to the deity) in Pune city and was planning to tour mandals in Baramati too.

"There was no need for such a reaction from members of the mandal (which organised Eknath Ganesh Festival) just because I could not visit the said event. I do not want to discuss the issue. I will go and have dialogue with Eknath Shinde," he said.