As BJP stays his induction over Palghar lynching accusation, Kashinath Choudhary claims he tried to save victims

Choudhary’s induction into the party two days ago had triggered sharp political backlash, with the Opposition immediately pointing out that the BJP had itself once accused him of involvement in the lynching incident in which two monks were killed by villagers in Palghar on suspicion of being child-kidnappers and organ harvesters.

Following the criticism, state BJP president Ravindra Chavan put Choudhary’s induction on hold. The party has not indicated whether his induction will be reconsidered.

‘Family getting dragged into controversy’
“False accusations have made life extremely difficult for me and my family. My children are being humiliated. I could have tolerated the criticism personally but my family has been dragged into this,” Choudhary said, adding, “I have come up after years of struggle. Even if my political career gets destroyed, please do not target my children.”

Choudhary also denied facing any pressure from the BJP. “No one pressured me. I had discussions with local BJP leaders. After understanding the details of the case, they decided to take me into the party.”

On Monday evening, after facing widespread backlash, Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan issued a directive staying Choudhary’s induction into the party. The party, in a statement, said that according to official investigation records, Choudhary’s name did not appear in any First Information Report (FIR) or chargesheet related to the case, and due diligence was undertaken at the local level.

Earlier, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had stated that he was inducted after examining all information related to the case. Nevertheless, the backlash against Choudhary only intensified.

BJP a ‘washing machine’: NCP(SP)’s Rohit Pawar
Opposition NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar attacked the BJP on Monday, calling it a “washing machine”. “The mantra of the new BJP seems to not follow ethics and aim only for power. If not, how could the party welcome an individual whom it had accused of lynching a monk? Whoever faces allegations becomes clean when he comes to you, like a washing machine,” he said.

Before the stay order, Fadnavis had responded to Rohit’s allegations, saying, “The person (Choudhary) was in the party of those who are levelling allegations now. Today, allegations have begun when he has come to us. I have taken all the information.”

The Palghar lynching had sparked a major political confrontation in Maharashtra with the then Opposition BJP demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government accusing the BJP of politicising the tragedy. A total of 251 adults and 15 minors were arrested in the case.