top of page

By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Rallies across state back CJP

Several protesters gathered at Dadar, Mumbai, on Monday in support of CJP's Delhi protest. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Endorsing the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s massive agitation near the Parliament in New Delhi, lakhs of youth, students and social organizations took to the streets with angry protests, marches and demonstrations almost all over Maharashtra on Monday. Opposition parties in the state including the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and...

Rallies across state back CJP

Several protesters gathered at Dadar, Mumbai, on Monday in support of CJP's Delhi protest. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Endorsing the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s massive agitation near the Parliament in New Delhi, lakhs of youth, students and social organizations took to the streets with angry protests, marches and demonstrations almost all over Maharashtra on Monday. Opposition parties in the state including the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT), along with other smaller outfits either voluntarily joined the protestors or wholeheartedly supported them. The political parties expressed full solidarity with the CJP, flayed the forced hospitalization of environment activist Sonam Wangchuk and expressed anger at the purported undermining of major public examinations beset with multiple leaks of question papers in recent years. The demonstrations attracted thousands of collegians, unemployed youngsters, professionals like lawyers, social activists, civil society members, farmers and others, including a large number of women, as the local police deployed strict security to prevent any untoward incidents. The protestors, carrying banners, placards, the National Tricolour and in some places, copies of the Constitution marched or assembled at various central locations in different cities, including Dadar in Mumbai, respective district headquarters since morning, braving showers or heavy rains in many areas. They ranted anti-government slogans, vociferously demanded the resignation of the Union Education Minister of India Dharmendra Pradhan, seeking what they termed as ‘accountability by those holding public offices’, ‘transparency’, ‘safeguarding their democratic rights’ and ‘mutual dialogue’ to resolve such contentious issues. In some districts, the gatherings also condemned the forcible eviction of Wangchuk to a government hospital two days ago, and lashed out the Delhi Police for lobbing teargas shells and mild lathi-charge on the protestors who reached very close to the Parliament – where the Monsoon Session 2026 opened on Monday. Constitutional Rights Speakers at the venues accused the government of allegedly suppressing the Constitutional right to peaceful protests through high-handed means, warning it could deepen public resentment rather than solving the problems the masses raised. Though the emotionally-charged protests in the state remained largely disciplined and peaceful, in some places like Mumbai, a few demonstrators were detained in the afternoon for not adhering to police directives. In Mumbai, the participants included mostly students, young professionals, retired citizens and civil society groups, while the district-level rallies elsewhere drew significant presence of the local youth, farmers organisations and social activists. The vigorous campaigns were carried out in the capital Mumbai and second capital Nagpur, besides Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Akola, Amravati, Dhule, Ahilyanagar, Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Wardha, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Bhandara, Washim, Yavatmal and Buldhana. Thackeray slams Centre Ex-Chief Minister and SS (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray took potshots at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government saying “they can hold talks with Pakistan, but not our youth”. His party MP Sanjay Raut alleged that ‘one word’ by a top judge had sparked a nationwide unrest for the past two months, igniting the youth to question the BJP governments at the Centre and in states. Many irate youngsters told the media that the exam reforms centric campaign has now transformed into a broader nationwide movement for debates on civil liberties, dissent and democratic rights of the citizens, and they would continue till their aims are achieved. Hundreds gather in Nagpur to support CJP Hundreds of students, youth and senior citizens staged an agitation in Nagpur on Monday in support of activist Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party's protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. Chanting anti-government slogans over alleged exam paper leaks, angry demonstrators, including students and senior citizens, gathered at Samvidhan Square and vowed to press ahead with their agitation until the education minister steps down. Protesters expressed outrage over the forcible removal of Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar in the national capital and the lathi-charge on students during their march to Parliament. Holding placards, banners and photos of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, demonstrators gathered at the site amid heavy police deployment. One of the young demonstrators said that their agitation will continue till the education minister resigns.

Ajit Pawar, Muralidhar Mohol at war

The Mahayuti coalition partners have turned into bitter rivals in the municipal fight for Pune and western Maharashtra

Pune: An open, and in some places covert, conflict is underway between BJP leader and Union Minister of State Muralidhar Mohol and Nationalist Congress Party president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, for dominance over cooperative institutions and local self-governing bodies in western Maharashtra.


A fierce exchange of accusations and counter-accusations between Mohol and Pawar has unfolded during the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporation election campaigns. In the first phase of the campaign, Mohol targeted Ajit Pawar, alleging that his party had given tickets to candidates with criminal backgrounds. Ajit Pawar responded strongly, saying, “Check the list of candidates fielded by the BJP in the last 15 years, and you will understand how much truth there is in the BJP's allegations and who has actually given tickets to criminals.”


Pawar also demanded an inquiry into who helped a person from Pune flee abroad and obtain a passport. He escalated matters further, demanding an inquiry into how a Pune-based figure had allegedly fled abroad and secured a passport - an insinuation aimed squarely at the BJP’s local power structure. At rallies he has also accused the BJP of presiding over seven years of developmental inertia in Pune, dismissing the party as a “triumvirate of power brokers.”


Except for BJP state president Ravindra Chavan, other local leaders have avoided responding to Pawar. Local leaders have taken the stance that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will respond. One former BJP MP said, “We will be coming together after the municipal elections anyway, so why respond?”


Widening Schism

This conflict between Pawar and Mohol has been ongoing since the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Ajit’s wife, Sunetra Pawar lost the Baramati Lok Sabha seat to Supriya Sule. Traditional BJP voters did not vote for Ajit Pawar’s party. This incident put both the BJP and the NCP on alert. BJP leaders realized that their alliance had not resonated with the voters. Ajit Pawar understood that while he had a good rapport with BJP leaders, BJP voters were not shifting their allegiance to him.


His party’s platforms prominently feature the late Yashwantrao Chavan, a Congress patriarch and invokes the legacy of Phule, Shahu and Ambedkar (icons of social reform) rather than Hindutva. This deliberate signalling is to reassure his traditional constituency in western Maharashtra where the Pawars have dominated politics and cooperative institutions for decades across Pune, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur and Solapur.


The BJP wants to establish its party on a firm footing in western Maharashtra. The BJP has been trying to achieve this for several years. Senior leader Sharad Pawar, and consequently Ajit Pawar, dominate the politics and some cooperative institutions in the Pune, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, and Solapur districts of Western Maharashtra. The BJP's strategy is to take control of these institutions or gain a foothold in them. Recognizing that it is necessary to stop Ajit Pawar for this purpose, the BJP has formulated a complementary strategy.


Murlidhar Mohol was given the responsibility of the party in Western Maharashtra. After Mohol was elected to the Lok Sabha, he was given the post of Minister of State for Cooperation. In the central government, the cabinet ministership of the Cooperation department is held by Amit Shah. Through Mohol, Amit Shah has kept his focus on Western Maharashtra. The party has given Mohol the 'charge' of Pune city and district. Therefore, the Mohol-Pawar conflict has become inevitable for maintaining dominance. Ward boundaries were drawn for the municipal corporation elections. The Congress alleged that BJP leaders interfered in the administration while drawing these boundaries. Expressing dissatisfaction with the ward boundaries, Ajit Pawar expressed his displeasure with the BJP’s ‘administrators.’ Subsequently, Mohol challenged Pawar’s presidency in the wrestling association. After the Chief Minister intervened, the presidential election was averted and Mohol was given the post of senior vice-president.


Battle For Dominance

Seeing signs of achieving good success through the alliance with Sharad Pawar's party in Pune city, Ajit Pawar became more aggressive. So, the BJP wants to maintain its dominance in Pune, and Mohol is working towards this goal, with the party also supporting him. Ajit Pawar is striving to regain control of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, and in this effort, he is naturally clashing with the BJP and Mohol.


The Chief Minister is stating that the proposed Purandar airport will be beneficial for farmers and industrialists in Western Maharashtra for exporting goods, and in a way, he is trying to appease young farmers by implementing this airport project. This is an ambitious project for the BJP. The BJP wants to maintain its hold on the municipal corporation for this project and the development around it.


Considering the social situation in Western Maharashtra, a political leader opined that Sharad Pawar's leadership is deeply rooted, and the youth here are attracted to Ajit Pawar. Mohol is relatively new to Western Maharashtra. However, the BJP has chosen him keeping the next 10-15 years in mind. It seems that the BJP’s senior leaders have decided on a long-term strategy to provide Mohol with all-out support.


What looks like a local spat is thus something larger - a test of whether the BJP can finally crack western Maharashtra’s cooperative fortress, and whether Ajit Pawar can prove that his rebellion has yielded more than ministerial office.

Comments

bottom of page