Mumbai: Days after the announcement, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) issued a show cause notice to its MLA Sangram Jagtap for making hate speeches that has put the party in a spot. The notice was sent to the MLA on Sunday. The party president and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday also asked the party leaders and office bearers to refrain from taking a stand contradictory to the party’s policy. While Pawar did not name anyone, his remarks were clearly aimed at Jagtap, who made communally charged comments last Friday.
Addressing a conclave of party district presidents, MLAs, and senior leaders of the party at the Worli NSCI Dome, Pawar said that statements contradictory to the party policy would negatively impact the party’s prospects in the upcoming municipal elections. “You all are MLAs, senior leaders and office bearers of the party and are not supposed to take positions that will harm the party’s prospects,” Pawar told the gathering.
“We have to contest elections. As a political party we have to move forward by strengthening our position. When the party has taken a stand, if you take another stand which is contradictory in nature then it will harm the party,” he underlined.
Jagtap, who was present at the gathering, had irked Pawar last Friday when he said, “While going for Diwali shopping, I would request you all to ensure that our money, transactions and its benefit should reach out to the Hindus only.” This is not the first time Jagtap has made inflammatory remarks. In June, he made a similar speech targeting Muslims, which prompted complaints from NCP leaders from the community.
When asked about the hate speeches made by Jagtap, Pawar said, “We have issued a notice to him a day before yesterday in that regard and he will have to reply to it.” On Saturday, Pawar had condemned Jagtap’s comments, stating that such remarks were unacceptable to the party, and on Sunday a show-cause notice was issued to Jagtap.
“Today I have urged everyone to be cautious as we have never seen so much differences among communities in our Maharashtra before. We all have to be careful about making demands as it should not hurt sentiments of others,” Pawar underlined.
Jagtap too confirmed that he met Pawar and discussed the matter. “I met him and had a discussion with him over several issues right from local issues related to Ahilyanagar to the development work (in the city). The local leaders from the city also expressed their views on the issues,” he told reporters.
Jagtap, a three-term MLA from Ahilyanagar (formerly Ahmednagar), has, since his re-elections last year, been making hateful speeches despite Pawar’s response.