Congress targets NCP over former PMC chief’s transfer

Leaders say Shekhar Gaikwad’s transfer was sudden and shocking.

The Congress Party’s local unit, on Monday, targeted its state alliance partner, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), over the sudden transfer of Pune municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad, “without any valid reason”.

Sanjay Balgude, secretary, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress, strongly criticised the NCP over the transfer of Shekhar Gaikwad (in pic). (HT FILE)

Congress city unit president Ramesh Bagwe said, “Gaikwad’s transfer was shocking. As our party is ruling in the state, it is wrong to make any comment; but without any valid reason, the commissioner got transferred. He was working satisfactory and hardly had five-to-six months as municipal commissioner.”

Without naming any party or leader, Bagwe added, “We need to fight against Covid-19 and not do politics. There was a good image of the government handling Covid-19 among the citizens, but the commissioner’s transfer has given the wrong message.”

Sanjay Balgude, secretary, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress, strongly criticised the NCP over the transfer of Gaikwad.

Balgude said, “I personally don’t have any relations or contact with Gaikwad, but overall, there was a good image. He just got transferred to the PMC and within a month, faced the Covid-19 pandemic. He increased the city’s health capacity.”

Balgude further said, “We are living in a democratic process. If the state government claims that Gaikwad has been transferred because the Covid-19 cases increased in the city, the same principle should be applicable in other cities and districts, and all administrative heads, where cases have increased, should be transferred. The government cannot make a different law only for Pune and Mumbai.”

Nationalist congress party city unit president Chetan Tupe denied to make any comment on it and said it was administrative issue.