BJP, not Shiv Sena, known for poaching: Pawar

Mumbai, Oct 14 (PTI) Former union minister and NCP chiefSharad Pawar today rejected suggestions that the Shiv Sena hadpoached MNS corporators and m...
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Mumbai, Oct 14 (PTI) Former union minister and NCP chiefSharad Pawar today rejected suggestions that the Shiv Sena hadpoached MNS corporators and maintained that it is the BJPwhich engages in politics of engineering defections.

Yesterday, six of the seven corporators of the RajThackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) joined the ShivSena, giving the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, which rules theBrihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, an edge over the ally BJP.

"It would not be fair to say that the Shiv Sena haspoached (MNS corporators). The BJP is known for playingpolitics (of poaching)...they did the same in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad. The Sena gave them a reply in the language theyunderstand. I will not say much, but the BJP has sowed what itreaped," Pawar said.

He was talking to reporters here after meeting around35 people against whom summonses have been issued by policefor speaking against the state government on social media.

The former chief minister said like others, youngpeople, too, have the constitutional right to expressthemselves, but are now being harassed amid growingintolerance in the country.

"Youngsters who write on social media are neither relatedto any political party nor follow a particular ideology. Theyonly want to uphold democratic values. It is everyindividual's right to express himself. However, today, whenintolerance is rising, they are being troubled for airingtheir views."The Maratha strongman said youngsters are being issuedsummonses by the cyber cell (of the Mumbai police) andthreatened with dire consequences for their social mediacomments deemed critical of the government.

"I will myself speak to the chief minister about thisissue...All this is being done at the behest of an OSD postedin the Chief Minister's Office. The chief minister should lookinto what is being done by his people," Pawar added.

The NCP stands firmly behind all these youngsters andwill provide them help through legal experts, he said. PTIMM RSYBSA.

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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