Mumbai: A Maharashtra Congress functionary has filed a complaint to Mumbai police seeking action against chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis for allegedly making communal statements. Maharashtra Congress legal cell head advocate Raviprakash Jadhav, in his complaint to Colaba police station, alleged that Shinde and Fadnavis, in a bid to inflame passions, had claimed police in Congress-ruled Karnataka had seized a Ganesh idol.
Jadhav claimed Bengaluru police had taken the idol during a Vishva Hindu Parishad protest on September 13 for safekeeping and to ensure they don’t get damaged in the melee. “The Vishwa Hindu Parishad had organised a protest on September 13 in the Town Hall area of Bengaluru without taking police permission and a Ganesh idol was carried during the protest. While taking the protestors into custody, the Bengaluru police ensured that the idol was not damaged. They later immersed the idol,” he said.
The Congress functionary alleged that the BJP and Shiv Sena leaders are spreading misinformation so that they get a political advantage ahead of the state Assembly elections expected to be held in November this year. He accused the CM of falsely claiming that Karnataka police had stopped Geneshotsav celebrations. He also alleged that Fadnavis and BJP MLA Nitesh Rane posted similar incorrect information on social media.
“Spreading of such fake news could be done for political benefits ahead of state elections. Police should take serious note and take action against them,” Jadhav said in his written complaint.
Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat also accused the Maharashtra CM and deputy CM of trying to create a communal discord ahead of the Assembly election by spreading “fake news”. “The only thing that the CM and DCM are doing full time is creating a fake narrative by constantly spreading fake news. Earlier, they protested against a statement of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding reservation, which he did not make. And now, an attempt is being made to create religious discord in the state by spreading fake news about what did not happen in Karnataka. The people of the state are wise and along with your fake narrative, your government will also be uprooted,” Throat said.
Earlier, referring to a video in which Karnataka police are seen putting a Ganesh idol in a police van, Shinde had stated, “The opposition parties politicised the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj’s statue (in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra). But they have remained silent about the Karnataka police’s action which insulted the people’s faith. The Congress government there is trying to shut down Ganesh festival celebrations.”
