Amid a political row over Azaan-Hanuman Chalisa, the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Devendra Fadnavis at the press briefing chanted the Hanuman Chalisa and challenged the Shiv Sena led Maha Vikas Aghadi government to arrest him.
He declared that they will recite Hanuman Chalisa every day and dared the government to charge them with sedition. His warning came two days after independent MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana were arrested under Sedition Act in addition to other sections of the IPC for challenging the government machinery and making remarks against the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
‘’The Maharashtra Government wants to crush and kill the opposition. Will Hanuman Chalisa be recited in Pakistan, if not Maharashtra? The way Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana were treated is condemnable. What was their crime?’’ he asked.
Fadnavis appealed to NCP workers to chant Hanuman Chalisa with him in front of his residence. “I request NCP workers to come and chant Hanuman Chalisa with me in front of my residence. We will continue to recite Hanuman Chalisa. We want to see if this government follows the orders of the Supreme Court, if not, we will plan our strategy,’’ he noted.
‘’Navneet Rana was treated very badly in jail. She was made aware that she belongs to a backward class. Drinking water was also not provided. She was not allowed to go to the toilet,’’ claimed Fadnavis.
‘’In Kerala and West Bengal, many of our activists were killed. The same situation is in Maharashtra today. But we will struggle. We will not remain silent,’’ he said.
‘’What is happening in Mumbai now is at the behest of the Chief Minister's Office. The Chief Minister runs the Home Department in Mumbai and NCP in other parts of the state,’’ he noted.
Earlier, a case was registered against Ranas under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 37(1) and 135 of the Bombay Police Act.
Later, the police also added IPC Section 124-A (sedition) in the case against them.
Under IPC Section 124-A, the offence of sedition is committed when any person by words or otherwise brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law.
The police had also registered another FIR against Ranas for allegedly obstructing police from performing their duty and resisting arrest at their residence in suburban Khar, the official said.
Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil had on Sunday termed "appropriate" the arrest of the Rana couple.
The police had also arrested 13 Shiv Sena workers on Sunday for allegedly protesting outside the Khar residence of Ranas on Saturday. The party workers were later released on bail, police earlier said.
(With inputs from PTI)
