Chaudhary, who was earlier with the NCP (SP), joined the BJP on November 16 at Palghar making a big show of strength in the presence of top local party leaders. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis supported Chaudhary’s induction into the party saying the decision was taken at the local level by ascertaining all facts.
Mumbai: In a major embarrassment for the BJP in Maharashtra, the saffron party on Monday stayed the induction of Kashinath Chaudhary, a local leader from Palghar, within hours of admitting him into the party. Chaudhary was the main accused in the 2020 Palghar mob lynching case, in which two Hindu sadhus ware brutally killed.
Chaudhary, who was earlier with the NCP (SP), joined the BJP on November 16 at Palghar making a big show of strength in the presence of top local party leaders. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis supported Chaudhary’s induction into the party saying the decision was taken at the local level by ascertaining all facts.
Fadnavis said, “The local leaders told me that the decision to grant Chaudhary entry into the party was taken after thoroughly examining everything. A complete investigation has been conducted into the matter. Why were the people who were accusing us silent till yesterday? He (Chaudhary) was good for the opposition till yesterday. If he came to us today, would he become bad?”
His remarks came after NCP (SP) Rohit Pawar slammed the BJP over Chaudhary’s induction. In his X post with the tagline ‘BJP’s dirty politics,’ Pawar said, “The BJP, which accused Kashinath Chaudhary of being the main accused in the Palghar Sadhu murder case, has put him in the washing machine and inducted him into the party. So should we say that the BJP was behind the Palghar murders?”
“This is the hypocrisy and fake Hindutva of the BJP. It has been proven many times that the BJP stoops to any extent for politics. The BJP politicizes any issue, but due to this, the social balance is disturbed and the state has to bear a huge loss,” Pawar said.
Faced with severe criticism from various quarters, state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan finally stayed Chaudhary’s induction saying the matter would be examined carefully before taking further decision.
The party, in a statement, said that according to official investigation records, Chaudhary's name does not appear in any FIR or chargesheet related to the case.
“However, given the seriousness of the matter, the decision regarding his induction has been temporarily halted at the state level,” it said.
On April 16, 2020, two sadhus – Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70) and Sushil Giri Maharaj (35) – and their driver, Nilesh Telgade (30), were brutally stoned to death by a mob in Gadchinchale village in Palghar, fuelled by rumours about child abductions during the COVID-19 lockdown. The BJP had levelled serious allegations against Chaudhary at the time of incident.
