A political controversy erupted in Dombivali, Maharashtra, after BJP workers retaliated against a Congress leader, Prakash "Mama" Pagare, for allegedly posting a morphed image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media. The BJP workers confronted Pagare and forcibly made him wear a saree in public, filming the event.
The incident stemmed from a social media post by Pagare, a 73-year-old Congress functionary from Dombivali, in which he shared a morphed image of Prime Minister Modi wearing a saree. The image was allegedly accompanied by a "derogatory song," according to BJP leaders. Pagare's post, captioned "Sorry girls, I too want to stay in trend," featured the altered image set to a popular Marathi song.
The post quickly drew condemnation from the BJP's Kalyan district unit, who accused Pagare of insulting the Prime Minister. Determined to respond, local BJP leaders devised a symbolic protest. BJP workers, including Nandu Parab, Sandeep Mali, Dutta Malekar, and Karan Madan Zadao, confronted Pagare near Manpada Road in Dombivali (East). Despite Pagare's initial resistance, the BJP workers draped him in a new saree while chanting "Bharatiya Janata Party ki Jai". One of the workers was also seen patting Pagare's cheek.
The incident has sparked outrage and accusations from both sides. BJP's Kalyan district president, Nandu Parab, condemned Pagare's post, calling it "distasteful and offensive". He warned that the BJP would respond even more strongly to future attempts to "defame" their leaders.
The Congress party has strongly criticized the BJP's actions, calling it an attack on freedom of expression and political intimidation. Kalyan district Congress president Sachin Pote argued that the BJP should have filed a police complaint instead of "misleading him and then forcibly making him wear a sari". Pote also alleged that BJP supporters often share derogatory posts about Congress leaders without facing similar repercussions and demanded police action against those involved in the incident. The incident has drawn attention to the escalating tensions between the BJP and Congress in Maharashtra. Police are aware of the incident, and preliminary inquiries are underway.
