Mumbai: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Pravin Darekar on Friday launched a scathing attack on the protest organised by the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) at Shivaji Park, declaring it a complete failure driven purely by political motives.
Darekar alleged that while the protest was originally billed as an agitation over student issues, it quickly morphed into a staged political drama targeted at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Highlighting the dismal turnout at the venue, Darekar, at a press conference, claimed the event lacked genuine public backing and was hijacked by opposition political figures.
He noted the presence of Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Mahesh Sawant, Sainath Durge, and several Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers, asserting that the protest had lost its original focus.
Pointing to activist Abhijit Dipke, Darekar remarked that organisers had to repeatedly tell Dipke to stay calm, which, according to him, exposed the lack of coordination and substance behind the agitation.
Darekar strongly condemned controversial statements allegedly made by Abhijit Dipke regarding B.R. Ambedkar and demanded an immediate public apology.
Dipke allegedly claimed that B.R. Ambedkar’s stature and intellect grew primarily because of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Rejecting the assertion, Darekar termed the remarks deeply offensive and an insult to the legacy of the chief architect of the Indian Constitution.
He accused the organisers of straying entirely from the core issue to engage in divisive rhetoric.
Addressing concerns surrounding the Special Summary Revision (SIR) process of the electoral roll, Darekar clarified that the exercise aims to purify the voters’ list rather than arbitrarily delete names.
He emphasised that, under standard regulatory protocols, only ineligible entries or duplicate registrations are removed, and a clear procedure for claims and objections remains available to every citizen.
Darekar accused the CJP of attempting to further its own political agenda by maligning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and defaming the Election Commission as an institution.
Firmly responding to Dipke’s criticism of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Darekar advised critics to study Fadnavis’s extensive political journey before casting aspersions.
He stated that Fadnavis is a leader nurtured in the values of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) who has never indulged in power-hungry politics for a ministerial position.
Darekar similarly dismissed criticisms directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pointing to the Prime Minister’s global standing and international impact.
He concluded that the opposition’s rhetoric against the RSS and central leadership exposed the protest as nothing more than an orchestrated political farce designed to gain media attention.
(IANS)
