"A narrative being pushed...": BJP's Chandrashekhar Bawankule on alleged "death threat" to Sharad Pawar
Jun 10, 2023
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 10 : The BJP's Maharashtra president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Saturday said a certain narrative about Sharad Pawar is being pushed since Friday when Nationalist Congress President (NCP) Supriya Sule alleged that her father and the party's patriarch had received anonymous death threats.
"A narrative is being pushed since yesterday about Sharad Pawar. Saurabh Pimpalkar (alleged to be one of the 2 men to be named in an FIR registered in the matter) did not threaten Sharad Pawar in his tweet. He is a BJP worker. If found guilty, we will act against him," Bawankule said.
Pimpalkar identified himself as a 'BJP activist' while putting out a tweet about Pawar.
The NCP leaders told the police that Pawar received a message on Facebook that he will "meet the same fate as Narendra Dabholkar (a rationalist who was shot dead in 2013)".
The Mumbai Police on Friday registered a case against two people in connection with the anonymous death threat to Pawar, under sections 153(A), 504 and 506(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday directed the state police to beef up security for Pawar after his daughter Supriya Sule alleged that her father had received death threats from unknown miscreants.
"Sharad Pawar is a senior leader and we all respect him. His safety will be fully taken care of. Instructions have been given to the police to increase security, if necessary," CM Shinde said.
Earlier, on Friday, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that although there are ideological differences with the NCP, issuing threats to a prominent Opposition leader won't be tolerated.
On Friday, Supriya Sule said she received a threat message, directed at her father on WhatsApp. Labelling the threat as 'low-level politics', she added that this should stop.
"I received a message on WhatsApp for Pawar Sahab. He was threatened through a website. So, I have come to the Police demanding justice. I urge Maharashtra Home Minister and Union Home Minister to act. Such actions represent low-level politics and should stop," Sule told reporters earlier in the week.
She added that if justice isn't done in such cases, the Centre and State Home departments will be held responsible. "The police have been informed. The Home Department also needs to intervene in this matter. Politics should be set aside in such cases," she added.
