'Rahul Gandhi surrounded by Left extremists': Devendra Fadnavis on Congress protests against Bill to tackle 'urban Naxals'

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (File: PTI)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said that the Congress party was protesting against the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill because their party leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was surrounded by Left extremists.

"At present, Rahul Gandhi is surrounded by Left extremists. Therefore, he gave the order and the Congress party is protesting against the bill," Fadnavis said responding to a question on Congress holding district-wise protests in the state against the bill.

While the government claims that the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, cleared by the state Assembly a week ago, is aimed at tackling the problem of urban-Naxals, the Opposition and civil society say it will be used to target anti-government voices by labelling them urban-Naxals or Left extremists.

The chief minister, however, argued that the Bill was discussed clause-by-clause in the joint select committee of both the houses. "Even the Opposition realised that the bill has nothing which can be misused, or which is against the Constitution. Therefore, some changes which the Opposition suggested were accepted," he said.

The Congress' central leadership, however, was taken aback by the passage of the Bill and even sought a reply from the Maharashtra Legislative Party as to how it allowed it without opposition, reported The Indian Express.

Notably, the Congress had neither submitted a dissent note in the Legislative Assembly against the bill nor lodged any protest against the passage of the Bill. It was only after the letter from the leadership that Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal directed all district committees to hold district-wise demonstrations and burn copies of the bill.