Mumbai: Amid attacks on the offices of rebel legislators, Shiv Sena minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday alleged that the Maharashtra government has withdrawn the security cover provided at the residences of 16 rebel legislators, including himself, and dubbed the action as “political vendetta".
Shinde, who led the revolt against Chief Minister and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, is currently camping in Guwahati with the rebel legislators. He tweeted a letter signed by the 16 MLAs that was addressed to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil and the Commissioners of Police.
In the letter, the legislators said CM Thackeray and the leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance will be responsible if any harm is caused to their family members. This is in the wake of ‘’malicious’’ withdrawal of security of the family members of the legislators.
However, Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil strongly refuted the Shinde camp’s charge saying that security has not been withdrawn, terming the allegation it as baseless and false. ‘’Neither the Chief Minister nor the Home Department has ordered the withdrawal of security of any MLA, said Patil.
‘’The allegations being levelled through Twitter are false and completely baseless,” he added.
Shinde alleged that the security cover of the 16 rebel Sena legislators was withdrawn on the orders of Thackeray and Walse Patil due to “political vendetta". “The government is responsible for the security of these legislators," he added.
‘’Not only the security of our families and relatives has been compromised by removing the security personnel but also there is an ongoing agenda wherein various MVA leaders are instigating cadres of their respective parties to take up violence,’’ the letter reads. In the letter, the legislators demanded that their security cover be reinstated.
“If our family members are harmed, then the chief minister, leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government like Sharad Pawar, Sanjay Raut and Aaditya Thackeray will be responsible," the letter said.