Maharashtra: Bawankule’s advice to BJP workers creates stir

Chandrashekhar Bawankule. File pic

State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule courted controversy when an audio clip, purportedly of him advising party workers to appease journalists by treating them with tea and a meal to avoid negative publicity ahead of the elections, went viral on Sunday.

Opposition parties slammed Bawankule. State Congress president Nana Patole said the act showed Bawankule's depth of thinking. NCP (Sharad Pawar) working President Supriya Sule condemned the BJP leader. She said the BJP did not like dissenting voices in the media.

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The clip has not been verified by mid-day, but Bawankule did not deny the existence of such a recording. In response, he said he merely asked the party workers to ensure cordial relations with journalists. "I asked the workers to invite journalists for tea, and it is not wrong. A section of the media has misconstrued my statements," he said on Monday.