As the ruling coalition of the BJP-Shiv Sena in Maharashtra was just recovering from the wrath faced by state minister Girish Mahajan for taking selfies in flood-hit areas in the state, another minister, Chandrakant Patil of the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet has landed into controversy.
While inspecting relief and rescue operations in Kolhapur on Sunday, 11 August Maharashtra BJP chief and state's revenue minister Patil “yelled” at a bunch of flood-hit people asking them to “shut up”.
“Once the road from Shiroli starts, the facilitation or amenities will become easier. I understand that you need amenities at this point of time and in such a situation, but you have to understand that you have to request things and facilities. You need to be patient and systematic. The government is completely with you in this situation but you have to understand that there's no point in complaining. The officials have been working for 24 hours tirelessly with no sleep, and still, you want to complain against them?” he was heard telling the crowd.
When some people started putting forth their grievances, Patil angrily gestured at the crowd to settle down and said, “ae chup (shut up in Marathi).”
Patil, who was appointed the state BJP chief in July is also the ‘guardian minister’ of Kolhapur and Pune.
The flood situation in western Maharashtra has improved with the water levels of two crucial rivers in the worst-hit Sangli and Kolhapur districts receding on Monday, 12 August and relief and rescue operations going on in full swing.
Kolhapur and Sangli districts have been battling unprecedented floods since the last eight days. The floods were triggered by huge release of water from dams in western Maharashtra and from Almatti, causing large scale destruction and displacement of over four lakh people.
The death toll due to flood and rain-related incidents in Sangli, Kolhapur, Satara, Pune and Solapur districts in the last eight days has risen to 43.
Sangli alone has reported 21 deaths followed by Kolhapur, Satara and Pune. As many as 761 villages in 69 talukas have been affected by floods.
(With inputs from PTI)
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