Chaos prevailed outside NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s residence here on Friday afternoon as over a hundred striking workers of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) staged angry protests, accusing the veteran leader of not doing anything to help them.
Police seemed to have been taken by surprise as protesters gathered outside ‘Silver Oak’, Pawar’s residence on Pedder Road in south Mumbai, around 3 pm.Employees of the state transport body, which has over 90,000 persons on its payroll, are on strike since November 2021. While Pawar’s party is part of the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, the transport portfolio is held by the Shiv Sena’s Anil Parab.Pawar’s daughter and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule tried to placate the protesters outside the house, saying she was ready to talk to them but she must ensure first that her parents who were inside were safe.
Police later rounded up many of the protesters and took them away, while additional force was deployed outside the house.Among the main demands of the striking MSRTC workers are that they be treated on par with state government employees and the cash-strapped corporation be merged with the government.The protest came a day after the Bombay High Court asked the workers to resume duty by April 22. Following the court order, Transport Minister Parab had assured that no action would be taken against the workers who join duty by the deadline set by the HC.
But on Friday afternoon, a group of MSRTC employees reached Pawar’s residence and started shouting slogans against the former Union minister.Some protesters were also seen hurling footwear towards the house.”Some 120 employees of MSRTC have died by suicide since the strike began. These are not suicides but murders, caused by the state’s policy…. Sharad Pawar has not done anything to resolve the issue,” a protester told reporters.”We respect yesterday’s decision of the Bombay High Court, but we were discussing the issues with the state government which has been elected by the people. This government did nothing for us. The Chanakya of this government, Sharad Pawar, is also responsible for our losses,” said another protesting worker.
