Pune: Alliance partners NCP, Shinde Sena criticise BJP MP for ‘purifying’ namaz spot

A row erupted in Pune after Bharatiya Janata Party MP Medha Kulkarni “purified” a spot in the Shaniwar Wada fortification complex where Muslims women allegedly offered namaz, with the Hindutva party’s alliance partners criticising her action, The Times of India reported on Tuesday.

While members of the National Congress Party group led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar held a protest against the Rajya Sabha MP outside the historical fort, the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena said that action should be taken by the authorities in such cases and individuals must not take the law into their own hands.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state comprises the BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena group and NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar.

The row erupted when a video showing a group of Muslim women offering prayers at the spot in Shaniwar Wada on Friday was shared widely on social media. Following this, Kulkarni on Sunday organised a march to the historical site and “purified” the spot using cow urine, The Indian Express reported.

“If the Muslims are offering namaz inside a historical place like Shaniwar Wada, then Hindus should also be allowed to perform aarti in mosques,” the newspaper had quoted the BJP MP as saying.

Shinde Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said that the Muslim...

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