NCP leaders express concern over incidents of communal unrest in Maharashtra

Senior leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) expressed concern over the recent incidents of communal unrest witnessed in parts of Maharashtra, including Kolhapur.

Addressing an event held here to mark completion of 24 years of the NCP's formation, party MP Supriya Sule said these incidents were not good for democracy, while its state unit chief Jayant Patil claimed that creating communal unrest through social media was something that never happened in the past.

Tension gripped Kolhapur on Tuesday after two men allegedly put 18th-century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan’s image along with an offensive audio message as their social media status. The next day, the police had to disperse hundreds of protesters after they hurled stones during a demonstration in the city against the alleged use of Tipu Sultan’s image.

In Ahmednagar district, police registered a case against four persons for allegedly carrying posters of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb during a procession taken out on Sunday. The action was taken after a video of the incident went viral. Referring to these incidents, Sule, who represents the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency in Pune district, said, The situation is not good for democracy.

Urging NCP workers to work towards reducing tension between communities, she said, We will continue to fight for the development of Maharashtra and the country. She hailed the NCP workers, saying they were the backbone of the party. Several leaders have contributed to the growth of the party, some others have left, but the workers have been the backbone of the organisation, Sule noted.