Amravati, Jan 7 (IANS) Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Wednesday condemned the murder of party leader Hidayat Patel in Akola, claiming that it is an example of how badly law and order in the state has deteriorated.
He further stated that the gangs wielding machetes, drug mafias, sand mafias, land mafias, and local strongmen have mushroomed across the state as Maharashtra does not have a full-time Home Minister.
He demanded that all those involved in the attack be arrested immediately and punished severely.
Addressing a press conference in Amravati, Sapkal said that the elections to the Amravati Municipal Corporation are no different from those to the other 29 municipal corporations in the state. In municipal council and nagar panchayat elections, the ruling party is throwing money to change the results in its favour.
“Law and order has deteriorated; the Election Commission has become a puppet in the hands of the ruling party, and the administration is aiding those in power. Bogus voting and massive distribution of money are underway. There is virtually no administration functioning in the state. What happened in the municipal elections is now happening in the municipal corporation elections as well,” he said.
The Congress leader said that the horse-trading has intensified, with opposition candidates being threatened and pressured to withdraw their nominations.
“To ensure unopposed elections, the Chief Minister and both Deputy Chief Ministers have descended into hooliganism,” claimed Sapkal.
Sapkal said that the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is the custodian of the Constitution and the House, yet he stood outside the office of the election decision officer to ensure that three candidates from his own family were elected unopposed; he intimidated and threatened officials, and his conduct was strange and perverse.
“The ruling party has wrapped up democracy,” he said.
Sapkal said that the Bharatiya Janata Party and the AIMIM are two sides of the same coin.
“Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Ashok Chavan is asking that AIMIM be given candidatures. AIMIM is the BJP’s B-team,” he added.
--IANS
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