Pune: NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the state govt had made it a fashion to label people following a different ideology as “Urban Naxals”.The veteran politician made the comment criticising the Maharashtra government, after Shiv Sena MLC Manisha Kayande claimed in the assembly on Wednesday that some “Urban Naxal” organisations had entered the Ashadhi Wari. She said the state govt would have to take action against them.Reacting to the issue, Pawar told reporters in Pune, “One of the organisations labelled as ‘Urban Naxals’ is Lokayat. I have closely seen their work. They follow a progressive path and work on bringing change in society against regressive thoughts. It is wrong to call them ‘Urban Naxals’.”Citing the arrests of some people over their alleged connection with the Naxalite outfits in the past, Pawar said, “Some people were kept in jail for some years. Later, the court gave a verdict in their favour. It has become a fashion of state govt to label someone as an ‘Urban Naxal’ if s/he follows a different ideology. The possibility of the state trying to control these people by terming them ‘Urban Naxal’ cannot be ruled out.“
