Amid speculation that Shiv Sena Minister Sanjay Rathod has already been advised by his party to put in his resignation over alleged links with a 22-year-old Tik Tok star committed suicide in Pune early this month, the Opposition BJP on Saturday rooted for the minister’s resignation by organising “Chakka jams” (traffic blocades) in several places across the state.
Ahead of the start of the budget session of the State Legislature beginning on March 1, the BJP’s women wing organised “Chhaka Jams” (traffic blockades) in several towns across the state.
While BJP’s Mahila Morcha president Uma Khapre led the protests at Mulund in north Mumbai, Seema Hire and Mrs Vidya Thakur organised the protests in Nahsik.
Uma Khapre claimed that her party’s women activists held protests in 100-odd places. “Twenty days have passed since 22-year-old Pooja Chavan died under suspicious circumstances, but the Maharashtra government has not taken any action against Rathod who is linked to her death. This is despite the fact that so much evidence has surfaced against him in the media,” Khapre said.
“We will not allow a smooth session unless Rathod is removed from the Cabinet,” state BJP president and former revenue minister Chandrakant Patil said.
Informed sources in the ruling Shiv Sena, meanwhile, said that at a meeting he had with Rathod on Wednesday, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray asked the minister to resign before the start of the budget session of the State Legislature on March 1. Uddhav had also told the Sena minister that if he did not resign before the start of the budget session, he would have no alternative but to sack him from the State Cabinet.
On their part, the Shiv Sena’s ruling alliance partners – the Congress and NCP – have told the chief minister that he should put in his papers immediately otherwise the MVA government will face considerable embarrassment and opposition during the budget session of the state legislature.
However, Rathod tried to brazen it out by staging a show of strength and denied the allegations linking him with the suicide by Tik-Tok star Pooja Chavan.
Taking serious cognisance of the violation of Covid-19 protocols at a huge gathering of people who had come to greet Rathod at Pohradevi fort in Washim district, the chief minister ordered a probe and asked the district collector and Police Superintendent to submit a report to the State Chief Secretary on the issue.
It may be recalled that on February 8, Pooja had allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the Heaven Park building in Pune’s Wanwadi locality on the intervening night of February 7 and 8.
Following her death, the Opposition BJP on Saturday had upped the ante over the alleged of a 22-year-old Tik-Tok star Pooja Chavan, by rooting for the arrest of Rathod, who was reportedly in love with the deceased woman.
BJP leaders Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Kirit Somaiya and party’s woman leader Chitra Wagh had said that the minister had no moral right to continue in the office. “In fact, he should be booked abetting Pooja’s alleged suicide and arrested immediately,” Wagh said.
Maharashtra’s former chief minister and senior BJP Devenra Fadnavis had demanded that Pooja’s death be investigated in view of the fact that the telephonic conversations between her and the minister had gone viral on society media. The Opposition leaders alleged that Pooja was pregnant at the time of death and that there were reasons to believe that the minister was responsible for her pregnancy.
