BJP MP Performs Vat Purnima at Pune’s Phule Wada and Draws Sharp Backlash
Critics call the ritual an ideological affront to the Phule reform legacy, and conflicting accounts about Archaeological Survey of India permission have left accountability unclear.
Overview
- A Vat Purnima ceremony was held at Mahatma Phule Wada in Pune where BJP Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni participated, prompting immediate objections from OBC and Bahujan activists.
- Opponents said performing a traditional banyan‑tree worship at the Phule residence contradicts its history as a site associated with anti‑orthodox social reform and the Satyashodhak Samaj.
- Kulkarni said she attended after being invited, noted she had joined a similar event last year, and asserted that the Archaeological Survey of India had given permission for the ceremony.
- Local organisers and residents disputed Kulkarni’s claim about ASI approval, saying they had sought permission on ancestral‑worship grounds and that the clearance status was unclear.
- Political and community groups have condemned the act as a move to 'Sanatanize' the site and warned of further action, leaving the episode poised to influence local caste and heritage politics.