BJP MLA Sangita Patil: ‘Tell cops you are page panel presidents if stopped, or call me’

BJP MLA of Limbayat in Surat Sangita Patil asked the party’s page committee presidents to tell the police that they are BJP page committee presidents if they are stopped or call her if they do not listen.

Patil’s remarks during a meeting addressing the page committee presidents in Limbayat constituency area, on January 10, was captured on a video by BJP worker Ravindra Dhakate who posted it on Facebook.

After the video went viral on social media, Dhakate deleted it from Facebook.

When contacted, Patil said the page committee presidents work for the party during night and she asked them to tell the police that they were working for BJP page committees in case they are stopped by the police as the curfew is in place.

The party meeting, held at Shantinagar society in Limabayat, was attended by BJP councillors of Udhna and Limbayat and Surat city BJP president Niranjan Janjmera.

Patil, who is a close loyalist of state BJP president C R Paatil, said in the speech, “Why are page committee president cards issued to you? Do you know? It is your identity as a voter. You can use this card everywhere and identify yourself as member of BJP and page president. If police catches you, say that I am BJP page committee president. If they do not listen, then call me.”

Talking to the Indian Express, Ravindra Dhakate (32), who hails from Nagpur in Maharashtra and resides in Surat for the last 15 years, said, “I am an active worker of BJP since last seven years. I am also page president of my residential society Keshavnagar, which is close to Shantinagar residential society. The video was shared via my Facebook to all my friends. When the controversies started, I deleted the video. Nobody had created pressure on me.”

Patil said, “Majority of the party workers in my area are doing jobs and they return back to their homes at 9.00 pm and after having dinner, they start doing work to make page committee members and they get back home late in the night. The curfew starts at 10.00 pm. So when, they are stopped by police on the road, they should identify himself as page committee presidents and tell the police that they are working for BJP page committees. If the issue is not sorted out, they can call me.”

A senior police officer, on condition of anonymity,said, “Police will do their work and only valid identity card or pass will be entertained.”