Mumbai: A Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) worker, Rajesh Sawant, made a failed attempt to disrupt a small rally of Congress’ Mumbai president Sanjay Nirupam on Saturday at Ghatkopar. Later, Sawant was arrested by police for the disruption.
The rally was pre organised at Gandhinagar in suburban Ghatkopar where Mr Nirupam was invited to address the public. However, Sawant started sloganeering in the rally. He also tried to snatch the mike from a female Congress worker who was on the stage.
Sawant has been arrested under Sections 323, 504, 341, 352, 509 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which pertain to voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult, assault and insult by word or gesture respectively.
Mr Nirupam said that the rally was not disrupted and the MNS worker was prevented by the public from doing so. “ I was there to help poor slum dwellers. Congress has helped them save their homes from demolition. But an MNS worker started sloganeering at the end of the programme,” he said.
MNS leader Sandip Deshpande said that his party workers condemned Mr Nirupam for his stand on hawkers. A few hawkers had beaten up MNS functionaries. The MNS had alleged that Mr Nirupam had instigated the hawkers. “The MNS protested today to condemn the stand of the Congress leader on hawkers,” Deshpande said.
Mr Nirupam and the MNS had had verbal exchange earlier on the issue of hawkers.
Mr Nirupam has been supporting hawkers, however, MNS chief Raj Thackeray has been taking them on in the wake of the stampede on the Elphinstone station rail overbridge.
After the incident, the MNS forcefully evicted the hawkers from various city railway stations.
