Intro: Maharashtra is long been known for its political maturity and tolerant culture, but currently violence seems to become tool for some vested interests.
CPI’s central office bearer and labour leader Comrade Govindrao Pansare was shot and left critically injured him along with his wife, near his Kolhapur residence while returning from a morning walk on February 16. He is undergoing treatment in hospital and at the time of writing this article declared out of danger by his medical team. To take advantage of this unfortunate incident, instantly as if they were waiting, the pseudo-secular brigade from media and communist party jumped up to blame Hindutva forces for the attack, trying to numb the society’s ears with their baseless tantrums, even when the police investigation had not gathered pace and shape. They had done the same in the murder case of a rationalist activist Dabholkar, effectively misinfluencing the police investigation and ultimately derailing it. As a result, Dabholkar’s murderers are still at large even after two years. On August 20 2013, Dabholkar was gunned down in the same fashion in Pune.
Pansare’s Contributions
Govind Pansare is known for his labour leadership and pro-poor thinking. Although many a times he has shown the traits of hatred towards upper class of society during his speech and writings, he is also known for non-enmity in personal life. No one in the social and political field ignores his contribution to the society through his agitations and trade union leadership. His agitations and presentations are being credited for many pro-poor, pro-labour decisions of Maharashtra Government in the past.
He is recently in limelight for the anti-toll agitation in the Kolhapur city, which has witnessed a massive public support cutting across the party lines. Pansare is one of the leaders, credited for the social engineering of this hard-to-crack agitation, which Kolhapur public is supporting for last three years. Even after a lost court battle, the all-party committee of which Pansare was a major leader, succeeded in rebuilding the agitation, making it practically difficult for the IRB Company, which built the internal roads in the city, to collect the toll. The impact of the agitation felt across the state and almost all political parties had promised to eradicate the toll culture in the state during recent assembly elections. Police have formed ten teams to probe every angle of the attack on Pansare, including anti-toll agitation, internal party competition, industrial disputes, political rivalry or any other conspiracy etc. CM Devendra Fadnavis, who is also holding home portfolio, has immediately taken the stock of the situation and is personally watching the progress of the investigations.
Political Terrorism
Maharashtra in recent years has witnessed many incidents of political violence. As example, I will point few cases just from the Industrial city in Pune’s vicinity—Pimpari-Chinchwad. On November 8 2006, Ankush Landge, BJP Pimpari-Chinchwad city unit president, was brutally hacked to death under broad day light with swords and choppers. Hands of one of his BJP colleagues were brutally chopped off. On January 20 2013, BJP Pimpari-Chinchwad unit vice-president Vilas Madigeri was been attacked with iron rods. A NCP corporator and a local MNS office bearer were also been attacked in the same month in the same industrial city. Couple of RSS Pracharaks were also attacked and in first week of October 2008, a RSS pracharak, Malhari More in Parabhani district was kidnapped and hacked to death by Jihadi elements.
Not a single word had been published by the secular media about the incident, even after the state BJP unit demanded a central probe in to the incident. Currently violence seems to become a tool for some vested interests.
Left-wing Media’s Agenda
Ironically, any of these incidents did not arouse a single drum beat from leftist media and activists. Another irony is the same secular media elements try to promote their own agendas by influencing the police investigation to vilify the Hindutva forces, as soon as any left wing activist unfortunately gets attacked. Maharashtra government under Shri Fadnavis has taken the incident in account and has ensured that police investigation will not get derailed as was evident in the case of Narendra Dabholkar’s murder.
—Rajesh Prabhu Salgaonkar from Mumbai
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