Striking employees attack Sharad Pawar’s house

Mumbai

A group of striking employees of Maharashtra state transport corporation (MSRTC) on Friday attacked the house of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai, accusing him being the roadblock in state government fulfilling their demands.

The state government has ordered an inquiry in to the incident and also the intelligence failure of Mumbai police in anticipating the said attack. As NCP workers gathered at his house after the attack and warned of consequences, Mr. Pawar has called for peace clarifying that he stands with the employees and added that the attack on his house was a result of extremist leadership of workers.

Around hundred protesters turned up at Mr. Pawar’s house breaking barricades and tried to barge inside. They threw bottles, chappals and shoes at his house, Silver Oak in south Mumbai. His daughter and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule confronted the protesters and appealed for peace. “We are ready to discuss everything, but this is not the manner to register protest,“ she said. She later thanked Mumbai police for protecting her family including Mr. Pawar, his wife and Ms. Sule’s kids who were present inside the house. She added that this was seen for the first time in Maharashtra.

As police regrouped and detained the protesters, NCP workers gathered outside Mr. Pawar’s house, warning of dire consequences. They claimed that the employees were instigated by their lawyer Gunaratna Sadavarte and opposition BJP. Mr. Sadavrte denied the claim. By evening, all NCP leader and ministers and Shiv Sena leader and state minister Aaditya Thackeray had come to meet Mr. Pawar at Silver Oak. 

MSRTC employees are on strike since last five months, demanding merger of MSRTC with state government,the demand which has already been rejected by a high-level committee report. The employees have been given salary hike and following Thursday’s court verdict, it has been announced that no coercive action will be taken against them if they return to work by April 22.The Bombay High Court on April 7 extended the date for the employees to rejoin the work. A division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice GS Kulkarni said, “We will allow them to rejoin but with a warning that their actions cannot be repeated, and then MSRTC would be free to take action.” The court extended the deadline for all employees to rejoin work without any fear of action by the administration to April 22 from April 15.

“An extremist leadership of employees is responsible for the prolonged strike of employees and suicides. Today’s action is out of frustration. I have cordial relations with these employees for past 50 years. But their current leadership has shown them the wrong path and that is being seen today,” said Mr. Pawar. He asked NCP workers to show restrain. “We stand with employees, but not with the extremist leadership of theirs,” he said.  

Meanwhile, Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse-Patil has ordered an inquiry in to the intelligence failure of Mumbai police regarding the incident. “There will be an inquiry about intelligence failure as to how this attack went unnoticed. The attack on Sharad Pawar’s house seems to be pre-planned. Whether certain invisible hands are behind this will be proved,” he said.