Ruling NDA members high on their own power: Cong slams Ajit Pawar for 'rebuking' IPS officer

New Delhi, Sep 5 (PTI) A day after a video showed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar rebuking a woman IPS officer, the Congress on Friday said it reflected the levels to which the members of the ruling NDA are "high on their own power" and claimed that his "belated justification" is nothing more than a "face-saving measure".

The video showed Pawar rebuking the woman Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and asking her to stop action against illegal soil excavation. The NCP leader on Friday said he did not want to interfere but was trying to de-escalate a tense situation.

In the viral video that surfaced on Thursday, Pawar was heard admonishing Anjana Krishna, the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Karmala, over the phone, which drew criticism from the opposition.

Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said, "The arrogant tone in which Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar spoke to IPS Anjana Krishna, who was doing her duty of cracking down on illegal sand mining, shows the levels to which the members of the ruling NDA are high on their own power." "This is a classic example of how the brazenly arrogant culture set at the top percolates down to others in the hierarchy," he said in a post on X.

Instead of applauding an officer for cracking down on corrupt activities, Pawar thought it fit to lambast her and obstruct her efforts, Venugopal said.

"His (Pawar's) belated justification is nothing more than a face saving measure, and he has not even apologised for his rude and unbecoming conduct," he added.

The Solapur Police, meanwhile, registered an offence in connection with an August 31 incident against several people for allegedly obstructing the IPS officer in the discharge of her duty.

"Let me state clearly that my intention was not to interfere with law enforcement but to ensure that the situation on the ground remained calm and did not escalate further," Pawar said in a statement on Friday.

He said he values the rule of law and has the highest respect for the police force and its officers, including women officers who act with distinction and courage.

"I remain firmly committed to transparent governance and ensuring that every illegal activity, including sand mining, is dealt with strictly as per the law," the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader said.

The video, aired by Marathi news channels, showed Krishna talking to Pawar on a local NCP worker's phone. She did not recognise his voice at first.

Pawar then made a video call to the police officer and purportedly asked her in a stern tone to stop action against the illegal excavation of "murrum" soil.

The incident took place on August 31, when revenue department officials, along with Krishna, reached Kapre Wasti in Solapur district to take action against illegal excavation.

Murum soil is used in road construction. PTI ASK RC