A day after Maharashtra Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis condemned Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide’s derogatory remarks against Mahatma Gandhi, former Chief Minister and senior Congress party leader Prithviraj Chavan on Monday demanded that the government must probe the source of the funding for Mr. Bhide’s outfit ‘Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan.’
“Devendra Fadnavis has said the government would take necessary action, but what is it doing? Sambhaji Bhide is a serial offender, known for making socially divisive remarks in the past. Who gives him the money? The government must probe who is funding his outfit, which is apparently based in Sangli district,” Mr. Chavan said.
Stressing on Mr. Bhide’s controversial role in Maharashtra’s socio-political spectrum, the Congress leader asked why Mr. Bhide had felt the need to change his original name, which was apparently Manohar Kulkarni.
Pointing to Mr. Bhide’s links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Mr. Chavan further alleged that the RSS had several “secret outfits” and said the government ought to probe whether Mr. Bhide’s ‘Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan’ was one of them.
Mr. Bhide’s controversial remarks against Mahatma Gandhi have also caused discomfiture within the tripartite ruling coalition of the BJP with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, with NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) leader Chhagan Bhujbal calling for the Hindutva leader’s immediate arrest.
In a veiled jibe at the BJP, Mr. Bhujbal said that Mr. Bhide was deliberately being made to utter such remarks, and added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ought to be informed of the matter during his Pune visit.
