Mumbai: The outrage in the Maharashtra Assembly over the arrest of NCP MP Padamsinh Patil even found an echo in Parliament.
"I have received communication about Padamsinh Patil's arrest," said Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.
A day after the CBI charged Patil with the murder of his cousin Congressman Pawanraje Nimbalkar, Sharad Pawar is under increasing pressure to sack him. Patil was once his right-hand man.
"Padamsinh Patil should resign or the party should remove him," said BJP leader Gopinath Munde.
The case has snowballed into a major embarrassment for the NCP.
"If charges are proved, the NCP will completely disassociate itself from Padamsinh Patil," NCP leader Praful Patel said.
Now the NCP, which holds the Home portfolio at the Centre, is faced with a tough question -- why did the police make no headway in the case for three years until the CBI took over?
The Congress hasn't said much, but with its alliance partner battling a scandal this is the party with a great performance in the Lok Sabha elections that stands to gain.
"This will not affect our relationship," said Union Heavy Industries Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.
In the last Assembly elections, the NCP drove a hard bargain with the Congress. Now with fewer Lok Sabha seats in its kitty and its image under a cloud, it's bargaining position is weak in the Assembly polls, which is four months away.