BJP warns of protest against illegal pubs

Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rules the state and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis holds the home ministry, the party’s Pune city unit has threatened to launch agitation if no police action is taken against pub owners who flout deadline and serve banned substances.

BJP, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have condemned the incident of a pub on Fergusson College (FC) Road running beyond deadline on Sunday.

Dheeraj Ghate, president, BJP city unit, said, “The agencies, including police, district collectorate, excise department and municipal corporations need to declare list of authorised pubs and close down illegal establishments.”

BJP MP Medha Kulkarni said the police are not doing enough to deal with the drug menace.

While the MNS staged protest in front of the pub on FC Road, the NCP plans an agitation on Tuesday.