Clearing doubts about potential misuse of stringent law, CM says it is only to foil extremists who don’t believe in democracy
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
The Legislative Assembly passed the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, on Thursday. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while tabling the Bill, explained the necessity of the proposed law and stated that the state has 64 radical organisations, the highest in the country, and none of them have been banned in the absence of effective rules.
Fadnavis, who heads the home department, mentioned that documents recovered during investigations revealed areas such as Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Konkan, Gadchiroli, Amravati, and Beed were becoming safe havens and hotbeds for extremists. “As active Maoism is coming to an end, those who indulge in such activities are shifting to passive operations. These activities are taking place due to the absence of stringent rules,” the CM said, urging members of the Assembly to unanimously approve the introduced Bill.
Four other states, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Telangana, have already put the Act in place. Maharashtra would be the fifth state to impose the stringent law to prevent unlawful activities and maintain public order. Fadnavis stated that the idea was not to suppress the voice of the Opposition or those whose views differ from those of the government. “The Bill is to curb the extreme activities [of those] who do not believe in the country’s constitution and democracy. I assure the members of the Assembly that this law will not be misused,” Fadnavis added.
Opposition’s doubts
Earlier, speaking on the Bill, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav mentioned that the law was in force only in non-BJP-ruled states. “Why do BJP-ruled states not have this Act?” Jadhav asked. Rohit Pawar, an MLA from the NCP faction headed by Sharad Pawar, stated that the proposed law should not be used against farmers or others protesting against the government and matters like the Shakti Peeth Marg.
Echoing similar views, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Varun Sardesai stated that in universities and on college campuses, left-wing unions are known to take on several student-related problems. “I just want to ensure that such unions are not targeted,” he said.
The lone CPI(M) MLA in the House, Vinod Nikole, opposed the Bill. Meanwhile, BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar, participating in the discussion, congratulated Fadnavis and revenue minister Chandrashekar Bawankule for the Bill. Following several queries and doubts, the Bill had initially been sent to the joint select committee.
Bawankule led the select committee, and a revised Bill was introduced in the Assembly. Mungantiwar said, “Raising questions of ambiguity over the Bill is not good. The Assembly should ensure that the wrong narrative is not sent to the people.”
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