Maha political crisis: Pune Police on high alert after rebel MLA’s office vandalized
25 June, 2022 | Pravina Srivastava
Shiv Sena supporters today ransacked the office of renegade party MLA Tanaji Sawant in Pune
Shiv Sena supporters today ransacked the office of renegade party MLA Tanaji Sawant in Pune, escalating political upheaval in the state.
Sawant is a Shiv Sena dissident MLA from the Eknath Shinde faction who is now camped in Guwahati, Assam. Shiv Sena members allegedly vandalized Sawant’s office in Pune’s Balaji neighborhood of Katraj.
“Tanaji Sawant’s office was vandalized by members of our party. This sort of punishment would be taken against all traitors and dissident MLAs who have caused problems for our chief, Uddhav Thackeray. Their workplace will be assaulted as well. Nobody will escape, “Shiv Sena Pune city chief Sanjay More said.
Following this, the Pune Police issued a notice and asked all police stations to provide protection at Shiv Sena officials’ offices.
The Mumbai Police Department has issued a high alert and asked all police stations to provide security at all city political offices. Officer-level Police personnel has been asked to visit each political office to assure their safety.
Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde, a renegade Shiv Sena politician and state cabinet minister, wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday over the alleged malicious removal of protection from family members of the 38 MLAs camping with him at a Guwahati hotel.
Shinde alleged in a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil that the protection provided to MLAs and their family members as per protocol had been illegally and unjustly removed.
However, Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil denied Shinde’s report of security disengagement.
“Neither the Chief Minister nor the Home Department has ordered the removal of any MLA’s protection. The charges being made on Twitter are incorrect and absolutely unfounded “Patil said.
Shinde, along with 38 party MLAs and nine independent MLAs, is campaigning at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati, the capital of BJP-ruled Assam, beginning June 22.
Notably, CM Uddhav Thackeray has scheduled the party’s national executive committee meeting for Saturday. The meeting will take place in Shiv Sena Bhavan, and the Chief Minister will attend digitally.