Maharashtra: BJP chief Bawankule smells 'conspiracy' behind recent communal clashes

State president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Chandrakant Bawankule, has expressed concerns about what he perceives as a systematic pattern behind the recent communal riots in Akola and Ahmednagar. Additionally, Bawankule has alleged that the recent incident involving certain Muslims attempting to enter the Triambakeshwar temple in Nashik on Monday was also a part of this alleged conspiracy.

He stated that the state government is treating these incidents with utmost seriousness. Bawankule highlighted that Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who oversees the home portfolio, has promptly formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the Nashik incident. Furthermore, he dismissed allegations made by the opposition claiming that the police had been negligent in addressing the riots in Akola and Ahmednagar.

Bawankule claimed that "as soon as Mr. Fadnavis was informed about the riots, police reinforcements were promptly dispatched to the affected areas, resulting in a swift restoration of control over the situation".

Meanwhile, J.P. Nadda, the national president of the BJP, is scheduled to embark on a two-day visit to Mumbai as part of his all-India tour. Ashish Shelar, the city president of the BJP, confirmed this and mentioned that Nadda would receive a warm welcome from BJP workers upon landing at Santa Cruz airport. From there, he will proceed to Deonar to pay his respects to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, followed by addressing beneficiaries of government schemes at RKB School hall on Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Road. Nadda will then proceed to garland the statue of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar at Ramabai Colony and visit the home of Veer Savarkar in Dadar to meet his family members. On Thursday morning, he is scheduled to have a meeting with senior RSS leaders at Yashwant Bhavan in Parel before heading to Pune to address the state executive meeting of the party.