BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar allegedly made offensive remarks against NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil and his parents at a Sangli rally.
Sharad Pawar called CM Devendra Fadnavis, stressing that such comments defy Maharashtra’s progressive ethos.
Fadnavis assured Pawar he does not endorse the remarks, amid growing pre-election tensions between MVA and Mahayuti.
In a fresh political controversy ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) president Sharad Pawar on Thursday expressed strong disapproval over alleged derogatory remarks made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Gopichand Padalkar against senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil and his parents. Pawar, a veteran politician and key figure in Maharashtra's opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, dialed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to register his protest, highlighting that such comments are antithetical to the state's progressive culture.
According to the Hindu, The incident stems from a rally held by Padalkar in his Jat assembly constituency in Sangli district, where he reportedly made offensive comments targeting Jayant Patil's family background. Jayant Patil, who recently stepped down as the state NCP (SP) chief and has served as a minister for several years, is the son of the late Rajaram Patil—a Congress veteran and pioneer in the cooperative sector in western Maharashtra. While the exact wording of Padalkar's remarks has not been publicly detailed in reports, they have been described as derogatory and aimed at Patil's parents, sparking widespread outrage among opposition circles.
During the phone conversation, as cited b PTI, Pawar told Fadnavis, "Making such comments is not Maharashtra's culture. Maharashtra has always supported progressive thoughts. Such comments are unacceptable." He urged the Chief Minister to investigate the matter and take appropriate action against the BJP legislator. Fadnavis, responding to the call, assured Pawar that he does not approve of such remarks either, stating, "I told Sharad Pawar, who spoke to me in the morning, that I don't approve of such remarks either." This exchange comes amid escalating tensions between the ruling Mahayuti alliance (comprising BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP) and the opposition MVA as the state gears up for polls later this year.
At the time of the incident, Sharad Pawar was on a tour of Kolhapur, where he has been actively campaigning and addressing public gatherings. Political analysts view this episode as indicative of the intensifying mudslinging in Maharashtra's polarized political landscape, especially with the assembly elections on the horizon. The NCP (SP), led by Pawar, has been positioning itself as a defender of progressive values and regional pride against what it calls the BJP's divisive tactics.
