Patil, also the Guardian Minister of Pune, said he would take a weekly review of the civic work in the absence of an elected body in the city. (Express Photo) Sparking a verbal tussle with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil on Monday said that “any claim the Babri Masjid demolition was planned or executed by Shiv Sena was wrong, as it was done only under the leadership of Vishwa Hindu Parishad.”
“Some make tall claims the demolition of Babri Masjid was done in the Shiv Sena Bhavan, and the party had sent a group (to the spot) for the purpose. Actually, the demolition was done by Hindus, and it was led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. There were some of its subgroups — such as the Bajrang Dal — involved in it, and workers of the Shiv Sena were also a part of it,” he told reporters in Pune on Monday. The remarks came as the BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) have been taking potshots at each other over the claims of pulling down the Babri Masjid.
Patil, also the Guardian Minister of Pune, said he would take a weekly review of the civic work in the absence of an elected body in the city. “Public work should not get affected amid the absence of an elected body. I will represent the civic body’s elected body and take a review of the civic work,” Patil said, adding the PMC elections will take place soon after the Supreme Court verdict.
On the issue related to the merging of 23 villages and the then demerging of two villages, Patil said that he was of the opinion that “small-sized civic bodies are required for efficient delivery of the civic services, but any decision taken by the state government is taken jointly”.
Patil also assured that the decision to continue with the 40 per cent discount in property tax in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) would continue, and the state Cabinet would soon give its approval for the same. Stressing over the need of development projects such as Balbharti-Paud Link Road in the city, Patil said that he would “try to convince environmentalists about the need of the project, which has been pending for decades”.