‘Temper runs in the family’

MUMBAI: Pravin Mahajan’s relationship with his famous elder brother Pramod, who brought him up after their father Venkatesh Mahajan’s death, was strained in recent times.

Pravin was barely nine, said family members, when Pramod Mahajan had to assume the role of father figure.

Mahajan later supported many of his youngest brother’s business ventures, including an unsuccessful stint in construction. Most recently, he helped Pravin establish a publishing house for Marathi books.

Some family members hinted that the short-tempered Pravin, from initially being dependent on Mahajan, had become demanding. They say the shooting could have been triggered by Mahajan’s refusal to give in to Pravin’s latest demand.

As for property — a factor that is said to have been a bone of contention — the Mahajans owned 10 to 12 acres of agricultural land in Osmanabad and a plot of land in their hometown Ambejogai. Both properties were later donated to an educational institution.

Prakash Mahajan, the BJP leader’s other brother, runs a small hospital in Aurangabad and is also engaged in construction. He does not own any agricultural land.

Pravin and his wife Sarangi, who hails from Nagpur, were living unobtrusively in Jhanja Apartments at Damani estate in Thane for a decade. According to BJP leaders, it was Mahajan who chose his brother’s bride.

Nobody from Sarangi’s family was seen at the hospital on Saturday. Her kin said she is shocked and does not even want to think what could happen to her husband. Right now she’s only praying for Mahajan’s recovery.

A BJP legislator who knows Sarangi’s family in Nagpur said, “Theirs is a low-profile, middle-class family, respected for its connections with Mahajan.”

The reclusive Pravin was largely unknown even in BJP circles.  Indeed, it is said that Mahajan never allowed his siblings to exploit his position, which often upset Pravin.

Pravin and Sarangi have two children, Kapil and Vrushali. The twins are students of Standard XII. The couple's friends said Pravin had taken his family out for dinner on Friday. He left home before dawn on Saturday without informing his wife.

Later, as news of the shooting stunned the country, Sarangi remained clueless, thanks to a power cut. She learnt of the shootout when an acquaintance called up. The children were informed when they returned home in the afternoon from their coaching class.

They were shocked. Describing "Pramodkaka" as a good-natured, god-like person, they expressed the hope that he would pull through.

Neighbours characterised the Mahajans as down-to-earth and cordial. Pravin's next-door neighbour Mahesh Phadnis, 42, said that although the Mahajans were vegetarians, they had developed a liking for seafood and mutton.

"Only yesterday afternoon I sent them some Kolhapuri mutton curry," Phadnis's wife said. "In the evening, Pravin even commented that the dish was very spicy."

Even 12 hours after the incident, friends found it hard to believe. A long-time associate of Pravin said, "The Mahajans are a little short-tempered. It runs in the family. But I don't think Pravin ever displayed signs of being a maverick."