'Recite a shloka even with a book open': Navnath Ban
Targeting Rohit Pawar and Vivekanand Patil, Navnath Ban said: "Both leaders should recite a shloka from the Ramraksha or the Bhagavad Gita, or explain a Varkari abhang in detail. They are even allowed to keep a book open while doing this." Going further, he took a sarcastic dig: "If an exam of 500 marks were held on these subjects, Rohit Pawar would find it hard even to score enough to pass."
Responding to the personal criticism against him, Ban cited the Nath and Varkari traditions in detail. Tracing how these traditions spread, from Adinath to saints Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram, he tried to corner the opposition on cultural issues.
'Our grandfather was a freedom fighter, the Pawars...': direct allegations against the family
Referring to his family background, Navnath Ban made serious allegations against the Pawar family. "I come from the Other Backward Class (OBC) and the Denotified and Nomadic Tribes. My grandfather was a freedom fighter. He fought against the Nizam and the Razakars and sold his land and property for the Marathwada Liberation Struggle. But the Pawars' ancestors built their wealth through corruption," he charged.
What is the exact background of the row?
During the ongoing agitation in Pune, Vivekanand Patil personally criticised Navnath Ban and called him "intelligence in a dustbin". After this biting criticism, the BJP turned aggressive, and Ban hit back on cultural and personal issues.
Meanwhile, the MPSC students' agitation led by MLA Rohit Pawar has been on in Pune for the past week. Amid paper leak cases and disorder in exams, the protesters' main demand is that the MPSC chairperson resign immediately.
The row, which began with students' issues, has now picked up scriptures, saints' abhangs and family allegations, and the political atmosphere has heated up. All eyes are now on how MLA Rohit Pawar and Vivekanand Patil respond to Navnath Ban's open challenge.