Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and current Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis are embroiled in a war of words, with each making serious accusations against the other. Deshmukh's allegations warrant public scrutiny, according to Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole. He emphasized that Fadnavis, with his extensive seven-and-a-half-year tenure as Home Minister, claims to possess incriminating audio and video clips. Patole challenged Fadnavis to present these facts to the public to clear any confusion.
Speaking to journalists at Tilak Bhavan, Patole questioned, "Why didn't Fadnavis take action against Deshmukh if he was lying?" He further queried, "Why was Fadnavis silent until now if Deshmukh's claims about coercion to sign false affidavits against Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, and Ajit Pawar were untrue?" Patole also accused the Fadnavis government of tapping opposition leaders' phones and promoting the officer responsible for the wiretaps to Director General of Police. He urged, "Devendra Fadnavis should reveal the truth instead of intimidating opponents ahead of the elections."
Patole criticized the government's allocation of police security, highlighting that many ruling party MLAs, including intermediary Samit Kadam, receive unnecessary protection at the public's expense. "This is a misuse of taxpayer money," Patole stated. He pointed out the deteriorating law and order situation, marked by increased incidents of murder, robbery, and rape, while the government focuses on safeguarding its associates.
Addressing the recent brutal rape and murder of a girl in Uran, Navi Mumbai, Patole condemned the incident as extremely serious, underscoring the unsafe conditions for women in Maharashtra. "The state of law and order is such that even in Mumbai and its surrounding areas, women are not safe," Patole said. He noted the alarming number of missing women and girls in the state, attributing the rise in crime to the presence of criminal elements in power. "The perpetrators of the Uran incident must be severely punished," Patole demanded.
Reflecting on the political upheaval in Maharashtra two years ago, Patole described the power shift as contrary to the state's cultural values. "Fadnavis and current Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had disguised themselves multiple times during meetings in Delhi to orchestrate the change in power," Patole revealed. "The BJP will go to any lengths for power," he asserted, declaring the current government unconstitutional. He mentioned that the Supreme Court has issued notices to Ajit Pawar's faction, with a hearing on the NCP and Shiv Sena cases scheduled for September 3, casting a shadow of disqualification over the legislators involved.
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