After criticism and controversy over the viral video of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Aji Pawar in which he allegedly threatened a woman police officer over the phone who was taking action against the illegal mining in Solapur district of Maharashtra, he clarified that he was trying to bring the situation under control on the ground and had no "intention" to interfere with law enforcement.
A clip in which Deputy CM talking to Karmala Deputy Commissioner of Police (DSP) and IPS Officer Anjana Krishna went viral on social media, where he directed her to stop taking action against excavation of 'murrum', a mud which is widely used during road construction work, in Kurdu village of Solapur district.
IPS Officer Anjana Krishna from Kerala, who was posted to Maharashtra, was given a phone call by an NCP worker, by called Deputy CM Pawar and told Pawar was on the line, but the IPS officer did not recognise Pawar's voice and asked him to call her on her cellphone.
After which Deputy CM Pawar got angry and can be heard saying, "Itna aapko daring hua hai kya (how dare you?)," he asked the officer, before video calling her and allegedly asking her to stop the action she was taking.
"Tujhe mujhe dekhna hai na? Tera number de do ya WhatsApp call karo. Mera chehra toh aapko samajh mein aaega na? (You want to see me, right? Give me your number or call me on WhatsApp. You will recognise my face, right?)," he is telling her further.
The opposition hit out at Pawar and accused him of threatening a police officer as well as protecting "thieves" in his party. "You are threatening an IPS officer. He is heard saying that he will not tolerate indiscipline. Then what is this? That too, to protect the thieves of his own party. Mr Pawar, where is your sense of discipline? Illegal excavation of 'murrum' means defrauding the state's treasury and you are the finance minister. Yet you did it," Shiv Sena UBT leader and MP Sanjay Raut said on Friday.
After this, Ajit Pawar took social media platform X on Friday to clarify the audio in the viral video. He remains committed, he said, to ensuring transparency and stopping all illegal activities. "My attention has been drawn to certain videos circulating regarding my interaction with police officials in Solapur. 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 further," he wrote.
"I have the highest respect for our police force and its officers, including the 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," the Deputy CM wrote further.