Thane, Apr 4 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday dubbed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis a “worthless” home minister and sought his resignation after a woman worker of the Thackeray-led faction was allegedly attacked by activists of the rival Shiv Sena here.
Fadnavis hit back, saying Thackeray had been a “weak” chief minister who sacrificed his ideology for power.
Thackeray, his wife Rashmi and son Aaditya Thackeray met Roshni Shinde, the `injured’ woman activist at a hospital in Thane city.
Roshni Shinde was allegedly attacked on Monday evening by rival Shiv Sena workers over her `derogatory’ Facebook post about Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Thane is the bastion of Eknath Shinde who rebelled and toppled the Thackeray-led government last June to become chief minister by joining hands with BJP.
“Maharashtra has got a worthless home minister. A helpless and servile man is the home minister here. He was not ready to act when his own party men were attacked by the ‘Mindhe’ (a derogatory term Thackeray’s party uses for Eknath Shinde) group,” Thackeray told reporters.
“Should one call him (Shinde) the chief minister or a goonda mantri? I am not saying that, but people will decide. They should have a minister in charge of the goonda department when they expand their cabinet,” Thackeray said.
He said the state home minister should resign immediately and also targeted the Thane police commissioner calling him “useless” for allegedly not acting against those who attacked Shiv Sena (UBT) workers.
Thackeray also claimed that the Thane police commissioner was not present in the office when he went to meet him.
Shiv Sena (UBT) activists led by Aaditya Thackeray will take out a protest march to the police commissioner’s office on Wednesday and lock it, he said.
“Fadnavis has no moral right to remain in office. If he has any shame left, he should immediately dismiss the Thane police commissioner or transfer him and bring in a police officer who can control the law and order situation. Days after the attack on the woman party worker, no FIR has been registered,” Thackeray said.
Targeting Shinde, he alleged the chief minister unleashes hooligans against Opposition activists.
“Going by the recent incidents wherein a BJP worker and a Congress worker were beaten up and a journalist was threatened, the observation of the Supreme Court that the Maharashtra government is impotent is proving right,” Thackeray said.
Speaking in Nagpur, Fadnavis said Thackeray had been a “weak” chief minister who couldn’t ask two ministers in his cabinet who were jailed to resign, an apparent reference to Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik (both NCP MLAs).
“I can respond to him (Thackeray) in the same language, but I will not use that kind of language. Uddhav Thackeray is frustrated. He was chief minister for two-and-a-half years but he never stepped out of his residence. He did all his work from home and never went among people, and people know it,” he said.
Fadnavis further said people know Thackeray as the chief minister who reinstated “blackmailer” (Sachin) Waze into the police force and tried to save him.
He also said he would continue to be the home minister.
“Some people are praying that my portfolio is taken away. Many people are uncomfortable because I still hold the home ministry. But I will continue to hold the home portfolio as I am not here because of their favour,” he said.
As to the alleged attack on Roshni Shinde, Fadnavis said it will be probed without bias and there was no need to politicise it.
Speaking in Nagpur, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said if Thackeray continued to use objectionable words against Fadnavis, “the BJP will not spare Thackeray and will not let him come out of his residence.” Meanwhile, Shiv Sena spokesperson Naresh Mhaske, a loyalist of CM Shinde, held a press conference and dismissed Roshni Shinde’s allegations of attack as drama for public sympathy.
Thane police on Tuesday registered two cases of criminal defamation against Roshni Shinde over her Facebook post after Naresh Mhaske and fellow Shiv Sena leader Meenakshi Shinde met police officials.
As of Tuesday evening, no FIR had been registered with regard to the alleged attack on her, police said. PTI PR CLS COR ND NSK KRK KRK
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