Some BJP workers and followers of Abhay Patil, MLA, on Saturday tried to disrupt the inauguration of a painting exhibition that was being organised by Gulmohar BAG, a group of city-based artists, as they felt it was sending a wrong message among the public about their leader’s efforts.
Despite delay, the event was successfully help. The five-day exhibition ends on October 20.
Artists have exhibited paintings as a means of creative protest against the felling of trees in the name of development at Vaccine Depot, a lung space in the city. When the inauguration was going on, BJP members barged into the venue and asked the organisers to stop it as it was sending a wrong message about the development works taken up by the MLA.
Praveen Pilankar and others, who identified themselves as followers of the MLA, said the exhibition was making false allegations of tree cutting on the Vaccine Depot premises. Mr Palankar said the theme of the exhibition ‘Save Vaccine Depot’ was wrongly chosen. “It sends a message that a large number of trees are being cut at the depot. This is false. Not even a single tree has been cut there,” he claimed.
He accused them of turning a blind eye to the illegal activities going on inside the depot. He challenged them to come to the depot in the evening and discover for themselves the actual problems plaguing the premises.
Keerti Suranjana, secretary of the organisation, and members such as Sachin Upadhyaya tried to speak to the protesters. They said their effort was creative and not political. Mr. Upadhyaya said they were artists and were choosing creative ways of responding to the developments. Ms. Suranjana asked the protesters to go ahead with their work, while respecting the work of artists.
