Maharashtra: ‘Crime more rampant than development in state', Ajit Pawar slams Eknath Shinde govt

Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar on Friday attacked the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra and said crime was more rampant in its rule than development.

Initiating a debate in the Assembly on the Opposition sponsored last-week resolution on the state's law and order, Pawar, who is the Leader of Opposition, said the "double engine" government was making compromises to stay in power.

Natural calamities cause distress among farmers

The Bharatiya Janata Party refers to governments of the party or its allies in the states as "double engine" dispensations, meaning development was being carried out through efforts of the respective state as well as the Centre. Pawar said farmers were distressed due to natural calamities and lack of minimum support price for crops, while unemployment and crime, especially against women, were on the rise, but the government was busy pressuring and harassing political rivals.

Love Jihad used by right wingers

On the pretext of "love jihad", there is an attempt to vitiate the law and order situation in the state, the NCP leader alleged. "Love jihad" is a term used by right-wing outfits to allege Muslim men were converting Hindu women by luring them into marriages. Independent MLA Ravi Rana said the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government had made a mockery of law and order, while the current Home department under Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was working efficiently.The Congress' Nana Patole and NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad also targeted the Shinde dispensation and alleged it was trying to harm the social fabric of the state.