Amol Mitkari, the MLC from Ajit Pawar-led NCP, has launched an attack against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for shielding the MNS workers who attacked his car in Akola. Mitkari alleged that the Akola police are supporting the notorious members of Raj Thackeray's MNS party. "Officials from the Akola police department are seen embracing MNS's Karnabala Dunbale in hotels, without taking any action against him. This raises questions about whose protection these MNS goons are enjoying," the NCP leader said.
Amol Mitkari remarked, "After I was attacked by MNS goons, Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis called to inquire about my well-being. Even the Opposition Leader in the Legislative Council, Ambadas Danve, reached out to me. However, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde did not feel the need to call me. Will he act after my death?" Mitkari was speaking to the media in Akola on Thursday.
During his address, he sharply criticised local MNS leader Karnabala Dunbale and the Akola police. "If people as malicious as those in Raj Thackeray's party come to power in Maharashtra, we are in trouble. Is Karnabala Dunbale the police’s beloved brother? I will not leave the Superintendent of Police's office until solid action is taken against him. The police should put all six bullets from their revolver into my head. It's better to die at the hands of the police than be killed by goons," Mitkari asserted.
Mitkari further questioned why the Akola police had not yet arrested Karnabala Dunbale. "He openly travels to Mumbai, holds press conferences, and the police do not even touch him. I urge the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to remember that, despite your good familial relations with Raj Thackeray, you are the guardian of Maharashtra. How can you tolerate an attack on a member of the legislature?" Mitkari demanded.
On Thursday, Karnabala Dunbale visited Mumbai and met with Raj Thackeray. Speaking to the media afterwards, Dunbale lashed out at Amol Mitkari again. "Why should I speak about someone as worthless as Amol Mitkari? Watch the video clip of the attack on Mitkari, I am not present anywhere. The attack on Mitkari was a reaction to his own actions," Dunbale said.