BJP MLA opposes MVA’s rally in city playground

Nagpur: In a bid to stall Maha Vikas Aghadi’s Vajramuth rally planned to be held in the city on April 16, BJP MLA from East Nagpur Krishna Khopde has written a letter to Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) raising objection over the venue — a playground.
Commenting on Khopde’s letter, city Congress president Vikas Thakre said the BJP had no problem when busy roads were blocked for hours in the name of Savarkar yatra, but the party has objections to organising a public meeting in a playground.

The MVA, particularly the Congress, has decided to hold Vajramuth rally at Darshan Colony playground in East Nagpur and has accordingly obtained a formal permission from the NIT.
However, Khopde has raised objection to allowing the proposed rally in Darshan Colony ground near KDK Engineering College. He has sent a letter to NIT chairman Manojkumar Suryawanshi urging him to not grant permission in view of public nuisance (that the rally might create).
NIT chairman, however, told TOI that similar political rallies were held at same place in the past.
In his letter to Suryawanshi, Khopde said government funds were used to develop the playground and hence it should not be allowed to be used by a political party.
“It is learnt that the NIT has received application seeking permission for a political event to be organised at the ground,” Khopde stated in the letter. He urged the NIT chairman not to allow the place for any activity other than sports.
Khopde said the NIT’s ground was developed following several representations by citizens, especially from Darshan Colony in Nandanvan. It is the only playground for East Nagpur citizens where several sports activities like cricket, volleyball, football, basketball etc are held. Sports lovers use this ground in large numbers in the morning and evening hours, he stated.
According to Khopde, allowing the ground for political event will damage the playfield. “If the playground gets damaged during the political event, who shall be held responsible,” he asked.
Citing a high court order, Khopde said there is a clear directive that playgrounds should be utilised for sports activities only. “Allowing any other activities, including political rally, will amount to contempt of the court,” Khopde wrote in the letter.
Reacting to the BJP MLA’s move, Congress said attempts are on to stall the MVA wave in Maharashtra. “BJP is surprised by the Rahul Gandhi wave across the country,” said West Nagpur MLA and city Congress president Vikas Thakre.
“Disrupting traffic for almost four to five hours at busy Shankar Nagar Square for holding Veer Savarkar programme was okay for the BJP. However, the party has objections to holding a rally in a public ground which would not cause inconvenience to any citizen,” said Thakre.
Former Congress corporator Tanaji Wanve, who is heading the organising committee of the public meeting, said the NIT has already given us the permission to hold the rally there. “We have also paid the requisite fees levied by NIT,” he said.
Wanve also pointed out that BJP itself had organised several programmes in public grounds. In the recent past, two big events like a religious gathering and a mass marriage function were held at the same venue, he said.