Hours after Congress decided to field Navinchandra Bandiwadekar – a person who shared the dais with the Sanatan Sanstha and supported key accused in the Nalasopara arms haul case – Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan demanded a detailed investigation in Bandiwadekar’s link with the right-wing group.
रत्नागिरी सिंधुदुर्ग लोकसभा मतदारसंघातील काँग्रेस उमेदवार नविनचंद्र बांदिवडेकर यांचे सनातन संस्थेशी संबंध असल्याचे वृत्त काही वाहिन्यांनी दिले आहे. काँग्रेस सनातनसारख्या कट्टरतावादी विचारांच्या विरोधात आहे. या प्रकरणी सखोल चौकशी करून पक्ष त्यांच्या उमेदवारीबाबत योग्य निर्णय घेईल.
— Ashok Chavan (@AshokChavanINC) March 21, 2019
Chavan said that a detailed investigation will be launched over Bandiwadekar’s links with the Sanatan Sanstha and that an appropriate decision will be taken.
In August 2018, the Opposition parties in Maharashtra, led by Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) demanded a permanent ban on Sanatan Sanstha.
Social media called out the Congress party’s decision saying that their decision to field Bandiwadekar was “wrong in every way.”
Meanwhile, Navinchandra Bandiwadekar, speaking to The Hindu, alleged that he attended the rally in his capacity as the president of the All India Bhandari Samaj Mahasangh.
Bandiwadekar is also accused of extending support to Vaibhav Raut in the Nalasopara Arms case registered by the Maharashtra Anti Terror Squad (ATS). Bandiwadekar defended that Raut was a worker of the Mahasangh from Nallasopara.
