In a development that came as a rude shock to the MVA government, some agitating employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Friday hurled chappals at NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s high-security residence “Silver Oak” in south Mumbai, when they staged a flash protest ostensibly to vent their anger against him for his “failure” to resolve their demand.
A day after the Bombay High Court extended the deadline for the agitating MSRTC employees till April 22 to resume duty without any fear of administrative action, nearly “100 to 125” striking employees caught the police personnel off guard as they landed at Pawar’s residence at around 3 pm and raised vociferous slogans against the NCP chief. Some of the demonstrators even hurled footwear at Pawar’s residence.
The MSRTC employees have been on an indefinite agitation since October 28 last year to demand among other things their inclusion in the state government’s pay rolls. The MSRTC employees had intensified their agitation after the Maharashtra government announced hefty hikes in the employees’ basic salaries ranging from Rs 2,500 per month to Rs 7,000 per month, pending a decision on inclusion of the MSRTC employees in its state government's pay rolls.
The protestors, comprising women on the front, went past the security barricades erect in front of Pawar’s residence and raised slogans against the NCP chief. Then a small group with several women at the lead, was seen rushing towards the high-security Pawar residence in Silver Oaks bungalow, rushing past the security barricades, shouting slogans including ‘Jai Shri Ram’, and pelted stones, hurled shoes, while some managed to reach to the doorsteps.
NCP MP and Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule rushed out of “Silver Oak” and appealed to the protesters to remain calm. “With folded hands, I am pleading to you… Please keep calm, my parents and my children are inside the house and I am concerned for their safety… Don’t indulge in such behaviour,” Sule said, as she offered to hold talks with the protesters.\
Given that Pawar enjoys Z-Plus category security that the NCP’s Dilip Walse-Patil is the State Home Minister, the unprecedented storming of the NCP chief’s residence by the MSRTC employees has come as a big jolt to the MVA government.
The police who arrived on the scene immediately afterwards detained several of the protesting demonstrators.
State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil, who was among the several MVA ministers who visited Pawar’s residence, said that an inquiry would be held to find out if there were intelligence lapses leading to the incident in front of Pawar’s residence.