BJP leader assaults Shinde Sena leaders in Thane; police complaint filed

A former Thane corporator and BJP leader Narayan Pawar allegedly assaulted leaders of the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena Haresh Mahadik and Mahesh Lahane who filed a complaint at the Naupada police station, in Thane.

The development came amid alleged serious differences between the BJP and Shinde coming to the fore.

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The Thane incident is alleged to have taken place on Thursday (November 20) night while Eknath Shinde Thane branch chief Haresh Mahadik was celebrating the decision to reduce registration fees for houses under the Basic Services for Urban Poor (BSUP) scheme, which aims to rehabilitate slum dwellers in government provided housing.

The alleged incident happened due to competitive efforts to take credit for the reduction in registration fees for houses under the scheme. Such competition for credit has increased since local civic body elections in Maharashtra are scheduled to take place from December 2.

BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar has been claiming that he was the first to raise the issue of BSUP flat holders, while Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske claimed that that the 1 per cent discount on stamp duty was given according to a government resolution (GR) issued on November 18, due to his efforts.

Eventually, competitive efforts to take credit is said to have resulted in the alleged physical assault by former corporator and BJP leader Narayan Pawar on Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leaders Haresh Mahadik and Mahesh Lahane on Thursday night, while they were celebrating.

Narayan Pawar, along with around 50 of his supporters arrived at Laxmi Nagar Society in the Panch Pakhadi area, where the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leaders were celebrating. They asked, “How dare you (Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena) celebrate and take credit for the work we (the BJP) have done.” After this, Shinde Sena leaders Haresh Mahadik and Mahesh Lahane were beaten up.

“While we were celebrating, former BJP corporator Narayan Pawar came and abused us. After that he started beating up sub-division head (shakha pramukh|) Mahesh Lahane. When we went to ask him for an answer, he beat me as well,” Haresh Mahadik said.

Late on Thursday night, both of them went to the Naupada police station and lodged a complaint after the police registered a non-cognisable offence.

When asked about the incident, Pawar claimed that he never thrashed anybody. “We went to congratulate the residents since the 1 per cent stamp duty that was supposed to be levied on them has now been reduced to just Rs 100. I worked hard for those 185 families. Nobody helped me while I did all the work. Now, some people have come to try stunts. There was no celebration there and I did not even beat anyone. Some people have filed police cases with wrong information. We are also in the Mahayuti alliance. We will never get into arguments,” BJP leader Narayan Pawar said.

The Shinde Sena leaders are upset that the Naupada police filed only a non-cognisable offence that is considered a minor charge while they had demanded that a First Information Report (FIR) must be registered.

Meanwhile, sources said there are signs that the dispute between the Shinde’s Shiv Sena Shinde and the BJP in Thane will escalate further as neither the Sena top brass nor the the BJP leadership are friendly to each other.

Sources also said that the rift between the Maharashtra BJP top brass and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde is likely to increase after Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Shinde in Delhi that since the BJP is a national party recruitment of new members would continue.