Maha Govt Reduces Security for BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, His Family

Maharashtra leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis (left) and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray (right). 

(Photo: PTI)

The Maharashtra government led by the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance, has reduced the security cover for the state assembly’s leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis and his family, former UP governor Ram Naik, MNS President Raj Thackeray and the state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil.

Reacting to the government’s decision, Fadnavis said he had no complaints or worry.“I am a people’s person and this doesn’t impact my travel (schedules) to meet people,” he said according to PTI.

As per a government notification issued on January 8, Mr. Fadnavis will now get 'Y-plus security with escort', instead of the 'Z-plus' cover. The security of his wife Amruta Fadnavis and daughter Divija has been downgraded from 'Y-plus with escort' to 'X' category. MNS chief Raj Thackeray's security cover has been downgraded from 'Z' to 'Y plus with escort'.

This while, the former Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik will now get 'Y' cover instead of 'Y-plus'. The security covers of BJP leader and former CM Narayan Rane, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil and senior party leader Sudhir Mungantiwar have been withdrawn. Mr. Rane had 'Y-plus' security.

The government, as per the notification, has upgraded the security of two persons, downgraded of 11, withdrawn of 16, while 13 new people have got security cover.

Prominent among the new people to get security are Sunetra Pawar, wife of state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and Varun Sardesai, secretary of the Yuva Sena and nephew of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's wife Rashmi Thackeray.

Both have been given 'X' security cover.

Union minister Ramdas Athawale will get only 'wireless' instead of the 'Y-plus with escort', while central minister Raosaheb Danve's 'Y-plus' cover has been withdrawn.

The government has also withdrawn the security cover of former minister Rajkumar Badole, BJP MLAs Prasad Lad and Ram Kadam, and former speaker and BJP legislator Haribhau Bagde. The state has also withdrawn the ‘X’ category security of former Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh, who quit the party, and BJP’s former minister Shobhatai Fadnavis, an aunt of Devendra Fadnavis, PTI reported.

Senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam's 'Y-plus with escort' cover has been upgraded to 'Z', while film actor and Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha's 'Y-plus' cover has been upgraded to 'Y-plus with escort'. The security of BJP's former minister Ashish Shelar has been downgraded from 'Y-plus' to 'Y'.

State Legislative Council Chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar and Relief and Rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar will get 'Y-plus with escort', while Shiv Sena MLA Vaibhav Naik, who had defeated Narayan Rane in the 2014 Assembly polls, will get 'X' security cover.

Current state ministers Sandeepan Bhumre, Sunil Kedar, Dilip Walse Patil and Abdul Sattar, leader of opposition in the Council Pravin Darekar and state Assembly's Deputy Speaker Narhari Zhirwal have been given 'Y' cover.

Meanwhile, state BJP spokesman Keshav Upadhye alleged that the security of Mr Fadnavis and other BJP leaders was downgraded out of ‘political vendetta’. "The decision shows what kind of mindset the government has, and it is unfortunate. During the COVID-19 lockdown period, Fadnavis was travelling to the nook and corner of the state, while Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was sitting at home," he claimed according to PTI.