MUMBAI: Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday alleged that Sharjeel Usmani, an alumnus of the Aligarh Muslim University, had insulted sentiments of Hindus during his speech at the Elgar Parishad conclave held recently in Pune, and demanded strict action against him.
Fadnavis, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, also said the state government, which is headed by the Shiv Sena and comprises the NCP and Congress, didn't register an FIR against Usmani despite the demands made by the BJP.
Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said, "In a video, Sharjeel Usmani is speaking at the Elgar Parishad. Usmani allegedly insulted sentiments of the Hindu community. A person comes in Maharashtra, insults sentiments, and returns to his home state without facing any legal action. If the state government fails to take any action against him, then we will assume that the government is behind Usmani".
The conclave was organised on Saturday and among those who participated in it included eminent novelist Arundhati Roy, former IPS officer S M Mushrif, former Bombay High Court judge B G Kolse-Patil, and Usmani.