'Absolute jungle-raj': Congress slams Maharashtra CM Shinde, Deputy CM Fadnavis over Kolhapur violence

Criticising the Maharashtra government here on Friday, the Congress has alleged that there is an 'absolute jungle raj in the state under the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party regime of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, and if they cannot manage the show, "they must quit".

Maharashtra unit Congress president Nana Patole told media persons that in the past few weeks, Maharashtra state has been rocked by communal riots, disturbances, robberies, rapes, and gruesome murders in or around Mumbai. Now, even top opposition leaders - like Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and his brother MLA Sunil Raut - are getting open death threats on public platforms.

"There is a total collapse of the law and order in the state. Under the Shinde-Fadnavis, an 'absolute jungle-raj' prevails everywhere. Does a government even exist and does the state have a home minister? The situation is so terrifying that such questions are bound to be asked," said Patole.

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He said that at least 10 cities in the state have been rattled by riots in the past three months and every day, there are reports of communal frictions from different cities.

"It is going on with the blessings of this government. The ruling allies are creating a religious discord in the state and constantly attempting to incite communal passions to hide their incompetence," said Patole.

He said, however, instead of taking strict action against such rioters, the police sit idle and even the gangsters and anti-social miscreants are making a mess in the state almost daily, something that never happened in the past in a progressive state that gave heroes like Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj or BR Ambedkar.

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"Now, even the leaders of the Opposition are getting brazen death threats via social media. The Supreme Court had called this government 'impotent' in the past. All this is happening to prevent them from speaking against the state government and its shortcomings," Patole claimed.

He challenged that if the Shinde-Fadnavis government is unable to maintain law and order, then it should immediately quit and go home instead of propagating the ideology that killed people like Narendra Dabholkar or Govind Pansare.

Patole also assured that when the Opposition government returns to power, it will ensure stringent action against all such criminals and lumpen elements in 24 hours.