Impose President's rule in Maharashtra: Athawale writes to Amit Shah

Mumbai: As the alleged malpractices of Home Minister Anil Deshmukh give way to political upheaval in Maharashtra, Union Minister and President of Republican Party of India (Athawale) Ramdas Athawale on Monday, 22 March, penned a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding the imposition of President's rule in the state.

“I hereby demand to bring President’s rule in Maharashtra, as the government of Maharashtra has totally failed in fulfilling the requirements of the people,” the letter read.

It added, “The law and order in the state of Maharashtra is very bad, uncontrolled and people of Maharashtra are being neglected.”

He also said that he would be meeting Shah in a couple of days and will raise the issue, ANI reported.

Just days after the removal of Mumbai’s top cop Param Bir Singh over the handling of the Ambani bomb-scare case and the arrest of former API Sachin Vaze by the NIA, a letter reportedly written by Singh surfaced, in which he accused Deshmukh of corruption.

Singh claimed that Deshmukh had directed suspended Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore every month from bars, restaurants, and other establishments.

Demand for President’s Rule Intensifies

The Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar also met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and asked to review and send a report outlining the state's law and order situation to President Kovind. He further asked for the invocation of the President’s rule in Maharashtra.

He cited the ongoing political crisis and criminalisation of the police administration in support of his demand.

He added that, if the Governor does not send a report, it will be presumed that the current crisis in the state is the outcome of an all-party conspiracy.

Senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar also said that it is necessary that the Governor writes to the President about the current situation in the state.

A Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation is set to meet the Governor on 24 March.

BJP also went on to demand a high-level investigation through a High Court judge, under the supervision of Supreme Court or a CBI investigation into Singh’s allegations.

‘I am Warning Them’: Raut

Earlier on Monday, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had also mentioned the President’s rule, saying, “If someone is attempting to get the President’s rule imposed in Maharashtra by misusing central agencies, then I am warning them— you yourself will get burnt in that fire.”

Saying that the state government is ready to probe the allegations levelled against Deshmukh, he warned the BJP to not try and destabilise the government.

Shiv Sena, in its mouthpiece 'Saamna', had also alleged that Singh had written the letter at the behest of the BJP.