Pune Faces Political Heat as Congress Accuses BJP of Manipulating Sanitary Napkin Procurement, AAP's Symbolic Protest Draws Attention

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Tikam Shekhawat

Pune, 2nd February 2024: In a controversy surrounding the tender process for sanitary napkins in municipal schools, the Congress party has accused BJP MLAs-MPs of influencing the awarding of tenders. This allegation has sparked protests, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) officials and workers expressing their dissent in a unique way.

On Wednesday, Congress alleged that BJP MLAs and MPs exerted pressure on municipal authorities to favor a specific contractor in the tender process for supplying sanitary napkins to female students in municipal schools. Following these claims, Shiv Sena (Thackeray Group) Mahila Aghadi office bearers met with Additional Commissioner Vikas Dhakne on Thursday, submitting a statement regarding the alleged interference.

Meanwhile, AAP officials and activists approached Municipal Commissioner Vikram Kumar on Thursday, demanding the immediate distribution of sanitary napkins to female students in municipal schools. In a symbolic protest, they affixed sanitary napkins onto the commissioner’s car in the parking lot of the municipal premises.

पुणे महानगर पालिकेच्या शाळेत मुलींसाठी 'सॅनिटरी नॅपकिन' देण्याचे नियोजन असूनही ते दिले जात नसल्याबद्दल आप #पुणे शहर व महिला आघाडीच्या पदाधिकाऱ्यांनी आयुक्त विक्रम कुमार यांना प्रश्न विचारले व मनपा जवळ या प्रश्र्नी आंदोलन केल्याबद्दल पोलिसांनी त्यांना अटक केली. @PMCPune pic.twitter.com/63D9LtJhAA

— AAP for PMC (@aapforpmc) February 1, 2024

The protest included participation from Surekha Bhosle, Annie Anish, Amit Mhaske, Chhaya Bhagat, Shraddha Shetty, Shaheen Attar, Padma Salunkhe, Tehsin Desai, Pooja Waghmare, and other women activists.

Subsequently, Shivajinagar police detained the protestors, and Rakesh Vitkar, head of the municipal corporation’s security department, filed a complaint with the Shivajinagar police station. Later on Thursday night, a case was registered against 16 protestors on charges of vandalizing government property.