Fadnavis falsely claiming that warkaris weren't lathi-charged in Pune: Cong

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Monday alleged home minister Devendra Fadnavis was falsely claiming that warkaris- devotees of Lord Vitthal- were not lathi-charged by police in Pune district a day before.

"Video clips of the lathi-charge are self-explanatory. What is Fadnavis trying to achieve by making a false claim that no such incident had taken place? The comments of Fadnavis regarding this incident are irresponsible and insensitive, he said.

According to police, an argument broke out on Sunday between warkaris and police during a procession at Alandi town when devotees were scrambling to gain entry into Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Samadhi Mandir.

Fadnavis had denied reports of lathi-charge and maintained that it was a minor scuffle.

Patole said Fadnavis asking political parties not to instigate people over the incident is like "a thief lecturing the police".

"If he cannot handle the home department, why is he blaming the warkari community for it?" the Congress leader asked.

Every year, the palanquin of sant Dnyaneshwar leaves Alandi town for Pandharpur temple in Solapur district on the annual Ashadhi Ekadashi pilgrimage. The entire stretch is covered on the foot by lakhs of people.

Maharashtra's warkari community has a rich tradition but the incident that took place in Alandi is a black day. The BJP is infected with a morbidity of spreading blatant lies, Patole alleged.