The Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government has scaled down security cover of a dozen leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, initiating yet another war of words between the new dispensation and the opposition.
Security cover of several leaders including those from Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Congress have been removed or downgraded.
However, the security cover of Milind Navrekar, the trusted aide of the Thackeray family, has been enhanced.
The move of the Shinde-Fadnavis government has been described as vendetta politics.
“Such vendetta politics never existed in Maharashtra,” said Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole.
NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said that it was a move to suppress the voice of the opposition.
“Three months ago the Shinde government assumed office in an unconstitutional manner. The Supreme Court is yet to decide on the constitutional validity of the Government. Time and again the NCP has been vociferously opposing the wrong policies of the Shinde Government. The NCP has stood up for the cause of the unemployed, the farmers and the marginalized section of the society much to the displeasure of Shinde,” Tapase said.
“By withdrawing the security of NCP state President Jayant Patil and senior leader Chaggan Bhujbal the Government may be thinking that NCP may go slow in its opposition to the Government,” he said.