Mumbai (The Hindu): The Maharashtra Congress on Saturday demanded the arrest of Ganesh Singh, two-time BJP MP from Satna in Madhya Pradesh, for creating a ruckus allegedly in an inebriated state outside the Siddhivinayak temple in Prabhadevi on New Year’s Eve.

Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said Singh and a BJP working committee member, had tried to misuse their political positions and pressure the management to open the Siddhivinayak temple in the wee hours of Friday.

“My information is that Mr Singh was in an inebriated state and he had arguments with police officials posted outside the temple for security. The BJP has been indulging in politics in the name of religion, but this incident only exposes how much concern a party MP has for matters religious,” Sawant said alleging the BJP had tried to sweep the incident under the carpet.

“Siddhivinayak temple is always crowded with devotees, and true devotees and VIPs like Amitabh Bachchan walk to the temple bare feet. But no VIP has ever created a ruckus like this in an objectionable condition. BJP leaders are now trying to brush the incident under the carpet, and no FIR has been lodged,” Sawant said.

He demanded Singh be questioned by the police. He said he will try to acquire the CCTV footage of the incident using the Right to Information Act. When contacted, a trustee of the Siddhivinayak temple confirmed that Singh had visited the temple in the early hours of January 1.

“The temple doors are closed at 10 pm, and there is no question of reopening them for anyone unless any VIPs inform us in advance,” a senior trustee of the temple told The Hindu . “Some arguments did take place with the police, but temple management was not involved. The temple cameras are inside the complex, and it has not captured this footage.”

Playing down the incident, police sources said it was a minor incident, and the police personnel present outside the temple managed to convince the BJP MP that the temple doors could not be opened at this hour. “He actually shook hands with the personnel, and left,” a senior police official said, adding that no FIR has been lodged by the Dadar police station.

Ganesh Singh is a two-time MP Madhya Pradesh and got re-elected from the Satna Lok Sabha constituency defeating Congress leader Arjun Singh’s son Ajay Singh in May 2014. BJP spokespersons refused to comment on the incident.

The Congress has alleged that Satna MP Ganesh Singh was in an inebriated state

Photo credit: The Hindu