A proposal to earmark two grounds in Pune for protests and hunger strikes has triggered a dispute between the BJP and Congress over whether it was formally placed before the Pune Municipal Corporation’s standing committee.
BJP house leader Ganesh Bidkar said the proposal had been sent to the municipal commissioner for an opinion. Congress leader and standing committee member Prashant Jagtap disputed that account, saying no proposal to earmark protest grounds was placed before the committee for discussion or feedback at its Thursday meeting.
Bidkar has proposed reserving two large sites or grounds in Pune for demonstrations and hunger strikes, similar to Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. The proposal identifies designated venues as a way to reduce traffic congestion and inconvenience to residents when protests are held at different locations across the city.
The document refers to discussions in the standing committee and seeks the municipal commissioner’s opinion on reserving two large grounds. It records the approval of standing committee chairman Shrinath Bhimale and carries the signatures of the proposer and seconder, according to the report.
However, the conflicting accounts have left the proposal’s current status unclear. Jagtap said the matter did not come before the standing committee for discussion or comments, while Bidkar maintained that the municipal commissioner’s view had been sought.
The disagreement centres on the administrative stage reached by the proposal: whether it has only been submitted for the civic administration’s opinion or has been formally taken up by the standing committee. No final decision on the locations of the proposed grounds has been reported.
The proposal would reserve two designated spaces for protests and hunger strikes if it proceeds through the civic process. Its stated purpose is to concentrate demonstrations at identified sites and limit disruption caused by protests held at different locations. The proposal does not, in the material available, identify the two grounds or specify an implementation timeline.
The Pune Municipal Corporation’s response to the competing claims and its position on the proposed sites have not been reported. The next procedural step would depend on whether the municipal commissioner provides an opinion and whether the standing committee formally considers the proposal.
