Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday hit back at the Opposition MVA for demanding the imposition of President's rule in the state and alleged that it was the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led government that condoned crime.
He claimed the Mahayuti (Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP) government led by him enjoys the support of 210 MLAs in the 288-member House.
Shinde was addressing a gathering under the Shiv Sankalp Abhiyan in Ramtek city.
His counter comes a day after Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray demanded the imposition of President's rule in Maharashtra claiming a "deteriorating" law and order situation.
"Some people are demanding the imposition of President's rule and conducting elections. When they (Maha Vikas Aghadi) were in power, their home minister (Anil Deshmukh) went to jail (in a money laundering case). Several law and order incidents had occurred under their rule. Did they recommend the President's rule at that time?" Shinde asked.
Is imposing the President's rule so simple? The state government has the support of 210 MLAs, the chief minister said.
He said the government never supports any act of crime or accused persons.
Notably, the Shinde-led government is under flak in the wake of two incidents of shootings.
While a BJP MLA shot at and injured a Shiv Sena leader inside a police station in Thane district over a dispute, a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader was fatally shot during Facebook Live in Mumbai.
Shinde said Shiv Sena led by him is moving ahead with the ideology of Bal Thackeray.
"He (Uddhav) abandoned the ideology of Hindutva of Bal Thackeray. He keeps repeating that the party, its symbol, and even his father had been stolen. This sounds like a child repeatedly complaining that his toy was stolen.
"Is Balasaheb a thing that can be stolen? He personified the ideology of Hindutva," said Shinde who split Shiv Sena and toppled the Uddhav Thackeray government in July 2022.
He said Mahayuti is moving ahead with the "mission 48" to win all Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.
"We demand the dismissal of the Maharashtra government. We also demand that President's rule be imposed in the state and fresh polls be conducted," Thackeray had demanded while addressing a press conference in Mumbai.
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