In the Maharashtra Assembly election, the checking of bags of top politicians has become a major issue. After former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray raised the issue of his bag being checked for the second time in two days, the social media handle of BJP's Maharashtra unit released a video of airport security frisking Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' bags and took a swipe at Uddhav Thackeray.
In an indirect attack on Uddhav Thackeray, the BJP said, 'Some leaders have the habit of creating spectacles!'
The BJP, in an X post, said that Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis' bag was checked on November 7 in Yavatmal district.
'But he neither made any video nor raised any uproar. Earlier, on November 5, at Kolhapur Airport, Devendraji Fadnavis’s bags were also inspected. (Here’s the video from November 5),' it added.
'Just holding the Constitution for show isn’t enough; one must also follow constitutional systems. We simply request that everyone should have respect for the Constitution,' the BJP further said.
A video that went viral on social media yesterday shows former CM Thackeray questioning an officer during a bag check in Yavatmal. "I won't stop you... you're doing your duty. I'm doing mine. Search... search whatever you need to. But did you check the bags of Devendra Fadnavis, Narendra Modi, or Amit Shah?" Thackeray is heard saying.
When the officer mentioned that the BJP leaders had not yet campaigned in the region, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief requested that he check their bags whenever they visit and send him a video as proof.
Amid bag frisking row, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's helicopter was inspected by election officials on Tuesday upon his arrival in Latur, Maharashtra, for a campaign event. This followed similar checks of Shiv Sena UBT leader Uddhav Thackeray's bags earlier in Yavatmal and again in Latur. The repeated inspections of Thackeray's bags within two days have sparked controversy, with Thackeray and his allies alleging unfair treatment by election authorities amid the ongoing enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
