Dy CM Eknath Shinde defended CM Devendra Fadnavis against criticism from Uddhav and Raj Thackeray about him being from Nagpur, stating Nagpur is part of Maharashtra. He also addressed an SIT report alleging a conspiracy to frame them.
'Nagpur is part of Maharashtra': Shinde Hits Back at Thackerays
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday hit back at MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray over their remarks targeting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for being from Nagpur, asserting that "Nagpur is very much a part of Maharashtra".
Reacting to statements made by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Shinde questioned the intent behind their criticism and reminded them of Fadnavis' earlier stint as Chief Minister. While speaking to ANI in Mumbai, Shinde said, "Isn't Nagpur in Maharashtra? Maybe they don't remember that Fadnavis has been the Chief Minister before too."
Taking a swipe at the previous government, the Deputy Chief Minister alleged that development work in the state had been deliberately slowed down when the opposition was in power. "Who put speed breakers on the work done by the Chief Minister? The Mahayuti alliance has removed those speed breakers," Shinde said, underlining that the current government was focused on accelerating development and governance across the state.
SIT Report Alleges Conspiracy
Responding to questions about a report submitted by outgoing Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla, the Deputy Chief Minister stated that the matter would be examined and that due process would be followed. "It will be investigated. Truth will come out. I don't know about her report yet. I will look into it," Shinde said.
Earlier, a recent Special Investigation Team (SIT) report submitted to the Maharashtra Home Department has triggered fresh political and administrative tremors. The report alleged an attempt to falsely implicate Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in a criminal case during the previous regime, when Fadnavis was Leader of the Opposition and Shinde was a minister in Uddhav Thackeray's cabinet.
The findings of the SIT led by former DGP Rashmi Shukla, compiled after months of inquiry, suggest that the revival of an old 2016 police case in Thane district was not a routine legal exercise but part of a calculated effort to target the two senior leaders, LoP and Cabinet Minister of the time. According to the report, several police officers were pressured to shape the investigation to justify action against Fadnavis and Shinde, despite a lack of substantive evidence. (ANI)
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