Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Pune's Shivajinagar, Siddharth Shirole, slammed Congress' Lok Sabha candidate, Ravindra Dhangekar, on Wednesday for his "baseless attacks" on former Pune MPs Girish Bapat and Anil Shirole.
"Absolutely disgraceful...Once again, the uncouth @DhangekarINC ji reveals his true nature. Instead of presenting his constructive vision and agenda for #Pune when asked, he resorts to baseless attacks on the late Sh. Girish Bapat ji and Sh. Anil Shirole ji. Both esteemed leaders and Members of Parliament have left behind a legacy of unparalleled public service, marked by substantial achievements including the Pune Metro and airport expansion projects. Anil ji even regularly shared comprehensive performance reports with his constituency every year during his tenure," Shirole wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"Both MPs were elected with historic margins by Punekars, owing to their track record, principles, and unwavering dedication to serving the people and the nation," he added.
Taking further potshots at Dhangekar, Shirole wrote, "For @DhangekarINC ji, whose loyalty wavers between parties and constituents, and for a party that shamelessly thrives on caste, race, and regionalism politics, this kind of discourse is par for the course. But Punekars will not tolerate it. They will ensure that @mohol_murlidhar ji secures victory with margins surpassing even Bapat ji's record, and that the #Kasba Assembly constituency sends a resounding message to @DhangekarINC that he will never forget."
This came after Dhangekar on Tuesday criticised the former BJP MPs for allegedly not raising issues of Pune in the Parliament. BJP Lok Sabha candidate Murlidhar Mohol, who was also present at the conference, asked Dhangekar to not resort to personal attacks and instead present his vision for Pune.