As family fights Baramati, NCP (SP) shares Sharad Pawar's old video of 'equal opportunity' to girls
Mumbai (PTI): Amid a tussle within the Pawar family over the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, where NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule is pitted against cousin Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar, an old interview of Sharad Pawar has been shared by his party, in which he speaks about giving equal opportunities to girls.
This video is being viewed as the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) party's response to the appeal made by the rival camp's head and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to vote for the name 'Pawar' in Baramati in the upcoming general elections.
Baramati, from where Ajit Pawar is an MLA, is the home turf of the Pawar family. Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar, has represented the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency thrice so far and is seeking a fourth term.
Speaking at a programme of party workers in Baramati earlier this week, Ajit Pawar sought support for his wife in the Lok Sabha polls and sent out a message to the voters, telling them they have elected his uncle Sharad Pawar's daughter three times, but now they should elect his daughter-in-law.
"...You have been with the Pawars for so long, but now there must be some thought about what to do (in Lok Sabha polls) as there are two candidates from the same family. You must be wondering whom to support, whom to vote for. It is simple, as you have been with the Pawars for so long, just go and vote for (another) Pawar (referring to Sunetra Pawar)," he said.
Last month, chairperson of Maharashtra State Commission for Women, Rupali Chakankar who is in the Ajit Pawar camp, said if married women interfere in their maternal homes, it leads to disputes.
In the wake of these developments, the NCP (SP) posted on its social media handle an old video of Sharad Pawar answering a question posed by noted filmmaker Jabbar Patel on how he deals with questions of not having a son.
"Only a visionary leader like Sharad Pawar can speak of a daughter, who apart from being a family heir can also carry forward the ideological legacy. This sets Maharashtra apart from other states. Regressive people can only speak of heir to the family, their surname, maternal home and in-laws' home. Such people cannot understand the progressive Maharashtra," the NCP (SP) said in the post.
Baramati votes on May 7 in the third phase. Three time MP Supriya sule, Sharad pawar's only child is contesting the high-stakes election against Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar.
"I do face this question especially when I travel in remote areas. I am told it would have been good if there was a son to light the funeral pyre and continue the family name. If the son lights the pyre, the doors to heaven open. Should we worry about who will light the pyre after we are gone or those who behave good when we are alive," Pawar told Patel in the interview.
"The need is to give up such a mentality about female and male children. I feel we can give equal opportunities to a girl and increase her self-confidence and get the best out of her," he said.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, split last year after Ajit Pawar and several MLAs of the party joined the Eknath Shinde-led government. The Election Commission and the Maharashtra assembly speaker have recognised the Ajit Pawar-led party as the real NCP and allotted the clock symbol to it.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
