Transport staffers’ ‘lightning strike’ on Sharad Pawar’s home with stones (Ld)

Mumbai, April 8 : In a stunner, a large number of agitating employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) made a lightning strike at the private residence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar, and pelted stones and shoes.

Taking the Mumbai Police by surprise, the angry state transport staffers, comprising many women, first staged a noisy demonstration demanding the merger of the MSRTC with the state government, and raised slogans against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), and the Pawars.

Then, small groups of employees with many women at the front, were seen rushing towards the high-security Pawar residence in Silver Oaks Building, broke the security barricades, shouted slogans including "Jai Shri Ram", and pelted stones, hurled shoes at their home, while some managed to reach the main door of the house.Taken aback by the unexpected attack, NCP MP Supriya Sule, Pawars daughter, rushed out right into the midst of the agitating workers crowding there and appealed to them to remain calm, and sit for negotiations.

"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.Dont indulge in such behaviour," said Sule fervently with chaos all around her.Pawar, 81, is accorded Z-Plus category security and the unprecedented attack raised questions on possible intelligence failure, particularly since the home department is handled by NCPs Minister Dilip Walse-Patil.Ordering the police to submit a report on the incident, Walse-Patil said there could be some "unknown political force of a political party" that was behind the swoop on Pawars household, and the government has taken it very seriously.

"They kept womenfolk at the forefront so the police couldnt take any restrictive measures.We are enquiring into the episode and all those found guilty will not be spared," said Walse-Patil.

Earlier, Sule repeatedly urged the state transport workers that she was "prepared to sit for negotiations at this minute", but they were in no mood to listen."I kept telling them.I can sit right now for discussions.Please stop this agitation.Nothing will come out of it.Unless you stop the agitation, how can we talk in this ruckus," she said.Soon afterwards, a posse of senior police officers rushed there, and brought the situation under control, pushing back the state transport employees who have been on the warpath since the past five months.

The transport staffers action -- the transport department is held by Shiv Sena Minister Ani Parab, evoked strong condemnation from political circles and the social media.Later, Sule expressed gratitude to the police for rushing to save her family from the assault and renewed her appeal for sanity to resolve the transport workers issues, even as Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray -- son of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray -- visited the Pawar family.

The MVA leaders blamed one of their leaders Adv.Gunratna Sadavarte for the assault on the Pawar home despite negotiations underway with the government at the highest level.Several NCP leaders and ministers such as Jitendra Awhad, Dhananjay Munde, Majeed Memon, MPs, MLAs and others visited the Pawars, strongly slammed the attacks and some pointed fingers at the Opposition BJP for allegedly masterminding the attack.

An NCP leader said that many of the attackers were drunk and the swoop on Silver Oaks "was pre-planned" even though the matter is sub-judice.Some time later, the police teams managed to detain many of the agitators and cleared the vicinity by evening.

The MVA has repeatedly made it clear that the MSRTC merger with the state government is not possible and for all pending issues the verdict of the courts should be awaited.qn/pgh #Transport #staffers #strike #Sharad #Pawars #Mumbai # Sharad Pawar # Uddhav Thackeray #Jai # Priya #Maharashtra #Mumbai #Congress.