Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The AIMIM party faced sharp criticism from BJP and other corporators in the municipal corporation after a viral video involving leader of the opposition Abdul Sameer surfaced. A few days ago, Sameer had reportedly told a contractor of a garbage collection company, “There is no need to consult the mayor or MLAs for any work hereafter. Whatever Imtiaz Jaleel decides will be final.” The issue echoed strongly in Monday’s general body meeting, leading to intense reactions and effectively cornering AIMIM from all sides. Eventually, mayor Sameer Rajurkar intervened and cautioned the opposition leader, bringing the matter to a close.
The general body meeting began in the morning, with tributes paid to veteran playback singer Asha Bhosle and D.S. Gaikwad, father of municipal executive engineer Mohini Gaikwad. Following this, BJP corporators raised the issue of the viral video and strongly condemned Sameer’s remarks. They stated that disrespect towards local representatives and the mayor would not be tolerated and demanded action.
Vanchit’s Afsar Khan used an unparliamentary word during the debate, which angered AIMIM corporators and led to a commotion. Corporators including Rajgaurav Wankhede demanded an apology from the opposition leader, while Pramod Rathod went further, demanding cancellation of his membership.
The mayor advised the opposition leader to be mindful while speaking about ministers, MPs, and MLAs, stating that disrespecting public representatives is unacceptable and such incidents should not be repeated. Deputy mayor Rajendra Janjal reminded the house that the country runs on the Constitution given by B. R. Ambedkar. He also suggested organising training sessions for such conduct. However, corporators including Usama Abdul Qadir and Abdul Sameer responded that they did not require such training.
Politics over ‘Sambhaji Peth’ naming
A proposal was moved by standing committee chairman Anil Makariye to rename Aurangpura as “Sambhaji Peth.” Uddhav Sena’s Rashid Mamu argued that instead of naming a locality after Sambhaji Maharaj, a larger city should be named in his honour. This sparked strong opposition from BJP corporators. Group leaders were asked to clarify their stance, with Raju Vaidya taking a dig at political positions. Sachin Khaire supported the renaming, and mayor Sameer Rajurkar eventually approved the proposal.