In a fresh attack on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who handles the Home ministry, state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal alleged that ministers from the ruling party are issuing open threats, while the home minister sits 'blindfolded like Dhritarashtra'
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal. File pic
Speaking on the Kunal Kamra row, Maharashtra Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal on Tuesday accused the Mahayuti government of trying to turn the state into a' police state'. He made the statement citing reports that notices were issued to members of the audience who attended comedian Kunal Kamra's show, during which the comic made alleged derogatory remarks against the state's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
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According to news agency PTI, Sapkal said that issuing such notices indicates an attempt to turn Maharashtra into a police-controlled regime.
The Mumbai Police, however, denied claims that notices were issued to members of the audience who attended Kamra's show at a studio in a hotel in Khar area for questioning.
Meanwhile, in a fresh attack on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also handles the Home portfolio, Sapkal alleged that while ministers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are issuing open threats, the home minister sits "blindfolded like Dhritarashtra".
"The Home Minister and the Director General of Police have become mere showpieces," he alleged.
"The government was rattled by Kamra's satirical poetry. Is watching Kunal Kamra's show a crime? Punishing the innocent, and letting the guilty go free is the Mahayuti government's policy. The home minister and the police chief are mere puppets. They are quick to act against opposition, but criminals roam free," Sapkal alleged in a statement.
Kunal Kamra row: Crime graph on the rise after BJP-led govt came to power, says Sapkal
He said politicians should accept jokes made on them with a big heart and treat the satire humorously.
"Even first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, former PM Manmohan Singh, and ex-Congress president Sonia Gandhi have been subjected to harsh satire, but never were artists or their audiences harassed in such a manner," he said.
Kamra said that vandals had damaged the studio where he had recorded his show even though he had not taken Shinde's name during his stand-up act.
He alleged that while the vandals are allowed to roam free, innocent viewers are being harassed by the police. "What kind of justice is this," he questioned.
Sapkal claimed the crime graph in Maharashtra has been on the rise since the BJP-led government to power three months ago.
He cited the stabbing attack on actor Saif Ali Khan, the murder of a sarpanch in Beed, custodial killing in Parbhani, gunning down of a former minister (Baba Siddique), and the alleged rape of a woman inside a stationary bus at Swargate in Pune.
"From celebrities to village heads, no one is safe in Maharashtra. The Home Department and the police are unable to rein in the crime," said Sapkal, further alleging that illicit drugs are readily available in urban and rural areas.
Sapkal the state DGP, who is on extension, should be honourably retired and replaced with a competent and impartial police chief.
Meanwhile, Kamra failed to appear before police on Monday in connection with the case registered for his "traitor" jibe alluding to Shinde even as cops visited his Mahim home to check his availability, PTI reported.
(With PTI inputs)
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