Elgar Parishad Speech Row: People should have stopped Usmani’s speech right away, says Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

Pune, February 5, 2021: The Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune has again become the center of a controversy due to a speech by Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) alumnus Sharjeel Usmani.

Opposition leaders have alleged that Usmani’s speech has hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community and had demanded the State government to take strict action against it. A case in this regard has been registered against Usmani in Pune.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has expressed his displeasure towards Usmani’s speech during the Elgar Parishad conclave, saying that people who present at the event should’ve stopped it.

Pawar was addressing the media during a press conference to discuss various issues, from the farmers’ movement to the Union Budget.

While being asked regarding the Elgar Parishad controversy, he said, “The statement made by one of the speakers at Elgar Parishad was not right. An FIR has been filed in Pune in relation to the speech. The police will do their job. According to the law, if he has said anything wrong, then he will be prosecuted.”

“People need to give speeches keeping harmony in mind and with caution. Many famous and big personalities were present at the event. A man who has served as a judge was on the platform. He (Usmani) should’ve been stopped right away by people when he was giving the speech,” Pawar said.

“This kind of speech is not suitable for our country. People from many different communities live together in harmony in the country. People should have told him that such a speech would create hatred and division in the country,” the deputy chief minister said.

A case under section 153 (A) of the IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, etc) has been registered against Usmani in Pune.

Pradip Gavade, a local leader of the BJP’s youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, has filed a complaint at the Swargate police station against Usmani.

The Elgar Parishad conclave, held in Pune, was also addressed by writer Arundhati Roy, Justice (retd) BG Kolse Patil, and former IPS official SM Mushrif, among others.