Pune: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has directly intervened in the escalating political conflict within the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Pune. He has explicitly directed Shiv Sena leader and former MLA Ravindra Dhangekar to cease the internal "disturbance". The so-called disturbance was caused following a wave of serious accusations against BJP state leaders by ex-MLA Dhangekar.
The directive was allegedly issued during a brief meeting between Shinde and Dhangekar on Saturday. Local Shiv Sena leaders said that the focus shifted from political squabbling to the critical issue of maintaining public safety and law and order in the city.
The high-level conversation took place amidst weeks of fierce public sparring. Dhangekar had aggressively targeted senior BJP Cabinet Minister and Kothrud MLA Chandrakant Patil. He alleged that Patil and his local party workers were providing tacit support and cooperation to the notorious criminal Nilesh Ghaywal. Ghaywal's gang was recently implicated in a shooting incident in the Kothrud area of Pune. The controversy intensified when photos were released that purportedly showed Ghaywal associating with BJP members. This fuelled Dhangekar's accusations of political links to organised crime.
The situation was further complicated by a counter-offensive launched by the local BJP. It included the release of photographs of Ravindra Dhangekar’s son with another notorious gangster, Gajya Marne. This tit-for-tat exchange led local BJP functionaries to publicly appeal to Deputy Chief Minister Shinde to take action. Shinde was asked to restrain Dhangekar from making unsubstantiated public allegations that were tarnishing the image of the ruling alliance.
During their face-to-face interaction at the Pune event, Shinde made it clear that internal political conflict must be put aside for the greater good of the city's governance. He emphasised that the priority is to ensure that Pune maintains law and order, which will allow citizens to move around fearlessly.
Responding to the broader issue of criminal influence, Deputy CM Shinde issued a firm public assurance. Speaking to the media after the conversation on Saturday, Shinde stated emphatically that "there will be no forgiveness for criminals." He stressed that the government will not shield or support any criminal element, regardless of their affiliations.
