The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday rejected demands for action against party MP Padamsinh Patil who was arrested in connection with the murder of a Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar. NCP general secretary D P Tripathi said that the Osmanabad MP and former state home minister was a senior and distinguished leader and the party firmly believed that he was innocent,like any undertrial,until he is proven guilty by any court of law. Tripathis comments came in the wake of demands to oust Padamsinh from the Lok Sabha by the Opposition Shiv Sena and BJP. In the state legislative assembly on Tuesday,the Opposition parties also attacked the state Government,demanding the resignation of Padamsinhs son,Maharashtra Information Minister Rana Jagjitsinh Patil,from the state Cabinet. A murderer was nabbed in his bungalow, said Leader of Opposition Ramdas Kadam,referring to Padamsinhs arrest from his sons ministerial residence. The Opposition also took the state government to task over the lathicharge on Shiv Sainiks who had launched an agitation at Santa Cruz to protest against the proposed power tariff hike of Reliance Infrastructure,which supplies electricity to the suburbs. A Shiv Sena activist Subhadra Kadam lost her eye in the incident,alleging that the police had beaten her even though she was seated at the time.
