Shiv Sena: Idea behind activists arrests ‘stupid’, no threat to PM Modi

Bharatiya Janata Party’s political ally — Shiv Sena — is not happy with the way activists were arrested by the Maharastra Police. Claiming the idea behind the arrest is ‘stupid’ and linking the association with Maoists was just like a ‘conspiracy theory’, Shiv Sena stated that police should restrain while making claims or else Modi and the BJP will be ridiculed once again. It added that there is no threat to PM Narendra Modi.

Expressing their views via their mouthpiece Saamana, Shiv Sena stated there is no threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as his security is more robust the former premier Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Stating that police should restrain from making ‘stupid’ statements, Shiv Sena said on Monday, “The government should stop stating that these so-called Maoists could potentially topple the sitting government at the Centre. This is a stupid statement.”

The party was of the opinion that the previous government was brought down by the people and not by the Maoists, It said, “Manmohan Singh’s (Congress-led UPA) government was brought down by the people of this country not by Maoists or Naxalites. In recent times, governing parties were changed through democratic process alone.”

It further added that if the Maoists had any role to play in the democratic process of toppling down the current government, Communists would not have been defeated in the states of West Bengal, Tripura and Manipur. It said, “The police (must) exercise restrain while making claims or else Modi and the BJP will be ridiculed once again.”

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Claiming that Indira and Rajiv were too adventurous and that is why were targeted, Sena publication said, “Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had an element of adventurism (in them), which went wrong and they lost their lives. (However), Modi would not engage in such adventurism.”

Taking a dig at the activists criticising the arrests of activists by the police, the Sena said, “Urban Maoists” are involved in philosophising the acts of Naxals in remote areas of Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha. Naxalites run their own parallel governments in remote areas and several people, including government officials and Congress leader Vidya Charan Shukla, have lost their lives in attacks carried out by them.”

The saffron front was of the view that the arrested activists instigated the violence at Koregaon-Bhima (a village in Pune district on January 1, 2018) and wanted to create unrest in every state. It also pointed out that the thoughts of the arrested activists are violent in nature.

Questioning the opposition supporting the activists, the Sena said, “Mao is from China and whoever attempts to topple the government there is put behind bars or disappears. In our country, such people get support. From Congress president Rahul Gandhi to Sharad Pawar (NCP), Prakash Ambedkar (a Dalit leader) to Akhilesh Yadav (former UP chief minister), all are strongly supporting these people. If these people are facing charges of plotting to kill PM Modi, how can anyone support them.”

Speaking about the double standards maintained by former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Sena said, “Chidambaram has rejected the urban Naxal terminology. He claims it is an attempt to divert people’s attention from the Rafale jet deal, failure of note ban and other burning issues. But it was he who supported saffron terror terminology a few years back and defamed Hindu.”

Meanwhile, The Bombay High Court on Monday pulled up the Maharashtra Police for holding a press conference in which they elaborated the evidence against the arrested activists associated with the Bhima Koregaon case. The court questioned the basis of police holding the conference when the matter is sub-judice.

Soon after the arrests of five activists — Maoist ideologue Varavara Rao, lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, activists Arun Fereira, Gautam Navlakha and Vernon Gonsalves — the Supreme Court observed the matter on Wednesday and ordered house arrest till September 6. The bench also ordered Maharashtra Police to present the evidence till September 5.

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