MUMBAI: Differences within the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra widened on Tuesday as Sharad Pawar once again pushed for an SIT to probe “misuse of police force” in the Elgar Parishad case while CM Uddhav Thackeray maintained silence on the NCP chief’s demand but indicated that he was sticking to his grant of consent to the NIA to take over the probe. Going against the NCP and Congress on the row over the National Population Register exercise, which both his allies have opposed, Uddhav also reiterated his party’s support for NPR.

Thackeray, on a tour to the Konkan, said the Elgar and Koregaon Bhima cases were different. “The Koregaon Bhima case will not be transferred to the Centre. It is related to the Dalit community, and the government will not allow injustice to be done to the community,” he said. In the Elgar case, nine activists have been arrested for links with the banned group CPI (Maoist), and Pune police have alleged inflammatory speeches made at Elgar Parishad on December 31, 2017 contributed to caste riots at Koregaon Bhima the next day. The state has formed a two-member probe panel to look into the violence.

Pawar, for his part, clarified that “we are not demanding a probe into the Koregaon Bhima violence or Elgar case but into the way police force was grossly misused.”

The NCP had stated on Monday that the NPR form had uncalled-for questions, and state Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat on Tuesday reiterated his party’s opposition to it. Uddhav, however, said, “There is no need to fear about CAA. The NRC has not been enforced and will not be implemented in the state. And NPR is just a census,” he said. He added he would “go through the columns given in the form” given the concerns raised, “but I don’t feel there will be any issues with it as it is conducted every ten years.”

On Pawar’s comment on a probe into “misuse of police powers” and not specifically into Elgar or Koregaon Bhima, home minister Anil Deshmukh of NCP and party spokesperson Nawab Malik denied there was any climbdown on the NCP’s part. “We have been demanding a probe into the arrest of innocent persons. On Tuesday, Pawar reiterated this. We are sure the CM will accept our demand and set up an SIT,” Deshmukh told TOI. Deshmukh had earlier accused the CM of “overruling” him and consenting to the NIA taking over the Elgar probe.

Pawar said the manner in which law-enforcing agencies had dealt with the case had tarnished the image of Pune police and state police. “We too have the power to probe the case…The role of Pune police must be probed as priority. I will not comment more as a commission of inquiry has been set up to probe the Koregaon Bhima violence,” Pawar said.

Pawar too pointed out that Koregaon Bhima and Elgar were not linked as it was “prominent persons with a progressive approach who had participated in the Elgar conference.” He said the conference was to be inaugurated by former Supreme Court judge P B Sawant, who however did not attend owing to ill-health. “I was stunned when I was told that those who did not attend the conference were arrested by Pune police and criminal cases filed against them. Some were arrested for reading a poem by Dalit poet Namdeo Dhasal . Innocent persons are in jail for more than two years. As false information was submitted, they could not get bail. I am endorsing the proposal of the Supreme Court for a high-level probe. Set up an SIT, and the truth will come out,” he noted.

The NCP chief also expressed surprise over the way details of the January 24 meeting between deputy CM Ajit Pawar and home minister Deshmukh had been leaked to the Union home affairs ministry, hours after which the MHA issued the notification for taking over the Elgar probe.

Thorat said MHA’s decision to take over the probe was part of the Centre’s “attempt to label people associated with progressive Dalit and pro-Ambedkar movements as Naxals. The Elgar conference was a platform for intellectuals, liberals and poets. It was wrong to put them behind bars on the grounds that they spoke against the government,” he said.

Thorat said that on CAA, NRC and NPR, “Congress has a very clear stand… of opposing them. Wherever there will be an attempt to divide society, Congress will oppose it. We will discuss with our allies and make them understand.”

Thackeray said on the NRC, while stating it was not going to be implemented, that “it would not only affect the Muslims community but also Hindus, tribals and other communities. The Centre has not yet come out with any specified programme on NRC.”



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