AMN / WEB DESK
A protester in Pune’s satellite town of Chinchwad on Saturday hurled ink on Maharashtra’s Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil over his controversial statements on Dr Balasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Phule.
A day after the minister stirred up a hornet’s nest through his remark that late Ambedkar and Phule “begged” money from people to set up schools, scores of students owing allegiance to the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) tried to block the convoy of his cars and staged a black flag demonstration while he was on his way to attend a community function.
The ink attack on Patil came little later when he came out of a party worker’s residence from where he headed for a community function organised in memory of Swami Mahasadhu Morya.
Soon after he hurled ink on the minister’s face, the police detained him. The identity of the person who indulged in the ink attack on the minister was not immediately known.
Before long, the video of the ink attack on the minister went viral. The ruling BJP leaders hit out at the miscreant and the behind the ink attack on their minister.
Talking to media persons after the attack, Patil said: “I am not going to get scared by this kind of attacks. Whoever behind this attack should come out in the open and take on me directly”.
Patil came in severe criticism for his controversial remark made at a university programme held on Friday at Paithan in Aurangabad, where he said: “Those who set up schools like Ambedkar, Phule did not depend on government aid. They started schools by begging for money from people. They told people:‘I’m starting a school, please give me money’.
