KOLHAPUR: Inspecting relief and rescue operations in Kolhapur on Sunday, Maharashtra BJP chief and state's revenue minister Chandrakant Patil was caught on camera yelling at a group of flood victims who were voicing their grievances.
Addressing a crowd, Patil, who is also the guardian minister of Kolhapur and Pune, was asking people to not to get worried and impatient and have faith in the administration's work. Soon after, he lost his cool and raised his voice at a complainant.
"Once the road from Shiroli starts, the facilitation or amenities will become easier. I understand that you need amenities at this point of time and in such a situation but you have to understand that you have to request things and facilities. You need to be patient and systematic. The government is complete with you in this situation but you have to understand that there's no point in complaining. The officials have been working for 24 hours tirelessly with no sleep, and still, you want to complain against them?" he was heard telling the crowd when some people start making noise and putting forth their grievances.
Furthermore, Patil angrily gestured at the crowd to settle down and said, "shut up." Patil hails from Kolhapur district in western Maharashtra and was appointed as BJP's state unit chief in July this year. Many districts of Maharashtra including Kolhapur and Sangli have been reeling under floods in the wake of incessant rains in the region.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday took a detailed review meeting with the chief secretary, senior officials from resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R), disaster management department and other concerned officials at Ministry Control Room.
A day prior to the meeting, Fadnavis had visited Kolhapur and Sangli and taken stock of the situation. Eight-five teams of the NDRF, State Disaster Response Force, Army, Navy and Territorial Army are currently deployed in Sangli and Kolhapur districts for rescue efforts.