"It is my ardent appeal to one and all to ensure political differences should not lead to street battles," said Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule. (File)Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule Sunday said the rival factions of the Shiv Sena must stop fighting on the streets as he urged former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to ask his supporters to ‘restrain’ themselves.
The remarks from Chandrashekhar Bawankule came after fresh scuffles broke out between the workers of the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde camps of the Shiv Sena on the last day of Ganesh immersion and early Sunday.
On Friday night, both factions raised slogans against each other during the idol immersion procession over serving water and the differences were resolved after the police intervened. However, a fight broke out again between the rival camps Sunday with a local branch leader of the Shinde faction, Santosh Telvane, alleging that a group of 50 Thackeray Sena supporters led by Mahesh Sawant threatened him.
On its part, the Uddhav faction alleged Shinde camp’s Sada Sarvankar fired in the air outside the Dadar police station, a charge denied by Sarvankar.
According to the police, Mahesh Sawant and his supporters have been booked for unlawful assembly, rioting, assault and dacoity. Meanwhile, the Dadar police said they arrested five people from the Uddhav faction based on the first FIR filed by Telvane and they have been granted bail.
A cross-complaint has also been registered for assault and rioting against over 10 people from the Eknath Shinde camp, including Telvane.
Responding to the frequent scuffles between the workers of the Thackeray and Shinde factions, Bawankule said, “It is my ardent appeal to one and all to ensure political differences should not lead to street battles. This is not Maharashtra’s culture.” “Anybody indulging in wrong acts will be subjected to police action. It holds true for both Thackeray Sena as well as Shinde’s Sena,” he said adding maintaining law and order is everybody’s responsibility.
The state BJP president said, “Thackeray should ask his party members to show restraint. Since there is a large exodus of sainiks from the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena to Shinde’s original Sena such pitched fights are taking place.”
The clash between Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde has reached the Supreme Court, which is hearing petitions on their claims over the control of the Sena.