What makes it worse for Fadnavis is that both the departments concerned – Revenue, in case of mining, and Home, in case of police – are held by the BJP in the Mahayuti coalition. Fadnavis himself holds the Home portfolio, while former BJP Maharashtra chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule is the Revenue Minister.
The video also queers the pitch for Pawar as it comes amidst questions already being raised about his “absence” from the scene as Jarange Patil held his fast over the Maratha quota demand in Mumbai, and threatened to dig his heels in. Apart from Pawar being a Maratha, his NCP’s stronghold is the Marathwada region – making his silence conspicuous.
In the video that went viral on Thursday, Pawar calls on a local NCP worker’s phone to talk to Karnala Sub-Divisional Police Officer Anjana Krishna, while she is in Solapur’s Kurdu village to investigate a complaint of illegal excavation of ‘murrum’ soil that is used in road construction, on August 31. He tells her: “Suno, mai Deputy Chief Minister bol raha hoon aur aapko aadesh deta hoon ki voh rukwao (Listen, I am the Deputy CM and I am ordering you to stop it).”
Krishna, posted recently to Maharashtra, doesn’t recognise his voice and asks him to call on her mobile phone instead. “What is the proof that it is the Deputy CM talking?” she says.
“Main tere upar action loonga (I will take action against you),” Pawar says. He then says he will make a video call. “You will recognise my face, right?”
He adds: “Itna aapko daring hua hai kya (How dare you show such attitude).” After that, they have a video conversation.
As a row broke out over the video, police registered a case Friday against several persons for “obstructing” Krishna and other officials in their work.
In a statement, Pawar did not deny the call to Krishna but said it was being misread. “Let me state clearly that my intention was not to interfere with law enforcement but to ensure that the situation on the ground remained calm and did not escalate. I have the highest respect for our police force and its officers, including women officers who serve with distinction and courage, and I value the rule of law above all. I remain firmly committed to transparent governance and to ensuring that every illegal activity, including sand mining, is dealt with strictly as per the law,” he said Friday.
Incidentally, since taking charge as Revenue Minister in December 2024, Bawankule claims to have introduced several “reforms” to check corruption and illegal mining of sand along river banks. He has introduced a new sand policy, warned of strict action against illegal miners, and has streamlined licensing. Police have been given the responsibility of checking illegal mining, and also warned of action in case they are found lacking.
The NCP says the way Pawar spoke could be misconstrued as he is known for brusque, blunt talk, and that he may have been wrongly briefed by local party workers, who are seen in the video surrounding Krishna.
Calling the leak of the video “deliberate”, NCP (MP) Sunil Tatkare said: “Ajit dada may have chided the IPS officer to placate party workers… He perhaps meant to stop her from taking action for just a while to defuse the situation and ensure it didn’t worsen… He didn’t mean for her to stop completely… Everybody knows about Pawar dada’s tough-talking and that he never supports any illegal activity.”
However, NCP MLC Amol Mitkari targeted Krishna over the way she spoke to Pawar, and alleged that it was she who had leaked the video and asked her associates to make it viral. “If she says she does not recognise the state’s Deputy CM, her recruitment process must be scrutinised. I have written to the UPSC seeking a probe,” Mitkari said.
Bawankule also tried to defend Pawar, saying the conversation could have gone the way it did due to miscommunication. When you call up someone like this suddenly, the minister said, “The person on the other side is puzzled as only they know the ground situation. While one side says a wrong has been done, the other side says they are right. Such things have happened to me too.”
Bawankule added: “I have known and worked with Ajit dada for a long time. He cannot scold any officer.”
Fishing in troubled waters, Rohit Pawar, who is Pawar’s nephew and an MLA of the NCP (SP), said Pawar’s partners had sought to deliberately give a different spin to the conversation between him and the IPS officer. In a post on X, Rohit wrote: “Ajit dada should take note of how a trap is being set by his friends.”
Pawar was known for being straightforward and other people might mistake his style of speaking as him being angry, Rohit said. “In reality, even if Ajit dada speaks casually, a new person meeting him might feel he is angry or upset. But Ajit dada’s working style, nature, and straightforwardness have been known to the entire Maharashtra for the past 35-40 years.”
Rohit said the officer, Krishna, was not at fault either. “But it appears an attempt is being made by the friendly parties themselves to give a different spin to the conversation… and target him (Pawar).”
NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule took on NCP leader Mitkari over his remarks against Krishna, saying the ruling dispensation attacking the credentials of an IPS officer was a grave assault on the Constitution. “We expect that appropriate action will be taken to preserve the dignity of public office and independence of the civil services,” Sule posted on X, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CM Fadnavis.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) said Pawar was protecting “thieves”, and had no right to remain in government.
– With inputs from PTI