Thane:
Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar today attacked Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, saying the latter was "proud" of the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter episode which has seen several of the state's top cops in the dock.
"He (Modi) boasted that the encounter was a feather in the cap of the Gujarat police... The incident, however, was a sad day for Mumbra residents who believed in Ishrat's innocence. Ironically, the incident now is a blot on the Gujarat government," Mr Pawar said, speaking at a function in Mumbra near Thane, where Ishrat lived.
The young college student was killed alongwith three others in a fake encounter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in June 2004. The Gujarat Police had then claimed that the four were Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who were plotting Mr Modi's assassination.
Earlier in the day, Mr Pawar, who was on a tour of Thane, was shown black flags by Congress and Bhari Bahujan Mahasangh workers in Bhiwandi, who were protesting against corruption in the area. The Bhiwandi Municipality is controlled by Mr Pawar's NCP.
In Maharashtra, where Congress and the NCP are allies, public protests by the former are bound to affect the already-strained ties between the two parties. Both are trying to increase their tally from Thane district in the Assembly elections next year. Thane has 24 assembly seats and is a considered a stronghold of the opposition, Shiv Sena. Mr Pawar wants NCP to get as many seats as possible from the area.
"He (Modi) boasted that the encounter was a feather in the cap of the Gujarat police... The incident, however, was a sad day for Mumbra residents who believed in Ishrat's innocence. Ironically, the incident now is a blot on the Gujarat government," Mr Pawar said, speaking at a function in Mumbra near Thane, where Ishrat lived.
The young college student was killed alongwith three others in a fake encounter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in June 2004. The Gujarat Police had then claimed that the four were Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who were plotting Mr Modi's assassination.
Earlier in the day, Mr Pawar, who was on a tour of Thane, was shown black flags by Congress and Bhari Bahujan Mahasangh workers in Bhiwandi, who were protesting against corruption in the area. The Bhiwandi Municipality is controlled by Mr Pawar's NCP.
In Maharashtra, where Congress and the NCP are allies, public protests by the former are bound to affect the already-strained ties between the two parties. Both are trying to increase their tally from Thane district in the Assembly elections next year. Thane has 24 assembly seats and is a considered a stronghold of the opposition, Shiv Sena. Mr Pawar wants NCP to get as many seats as possible from the area.
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