Centre Provides Y+ Security To 15 Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs Amid Maharashtra Crisis

Even as political turmoil continued in Maharashtra, the Centre on Sunday reportedly provided Y+ security to 15 Shiv Sena rebel MLAs including Ekanth Shinde. 

Y+ Security Provided To 15 Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs Amid Maharashtra Crisis – What’s The News

New Delhi: Even as political turmoil continued in Maharashtra, the Centre on Sunday reportedly provided Y+ security to 15 Shiv Sena rebel MLAs. The development comes a day after Eknath Shinde claimed the security cover provided to him and his family members and those of rebel MLAs were withdrawn by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray. The MVA government had then refuted the security removal claims of Eknath Shinde and called it “baseless” .

“Central government has provided ‘Y+’ category armed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security cover to 15 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs,” sources were quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Eknath Shinde on Saturday claimed that his security cover was “illegally and unlawfully withdrawn as an act of revenge” by the MVA government. “That we are current sitting MLAs, however, the security provided to us at our residence as well as to our family members as per the protocol has been illegally and unlawfully withdrawn, as an act of revenge. Needless to mention, this sinister move is another attempt to break our resolve and arm twist us to give into the demands of the MVA government comprising the NCP and INC goons,” Shinde said in the letter.

However, Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil strongly refuted security removal charge by Eknath Shinde and said it was not removed and called it “completely baseless and false”.

Maharashtra crisis: Top developments

• Protests held across Maharashtra by Shiv Sena workers and supporters against dissident party MLAs, who have been camping in Guwahati and led a rebellion against MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray. In Pune, Shiv Sena workers held ‘joote maro andolan’ against the rebel MLAs led by Eknath Shinde.
• Eknath Shinde chaired a meeting of rebel MLAs in Guwahati to discuss strategy ahead.
• The Eknath Shinde camp named their rebel group ‘Shiv Sena (Balasaheb)’ while adding that they have not left the party but will act as a separate group.
• Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut posted a tweet targetting the rebel MLAs of the party, in which he said that however long they may “hide” in Assam’s Guwahati, they will ultimately have to come to “chowpatty”, a reference to Mumbai. “How long will you hide in Guwahati, you will have to come to chowpatty,” the Sena MP tweeted in Hindi along with a photo of the state Assembly’s Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal looking into the distance.
• Majority of Shiv Sena MLAs have shifted their loyalty to minister Eknath Shinde and are currently camping in Guwahati, plunging the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the Sena, into a crisis.
• The Maharashtra legislature secretariat had on Saturday issued ‘summons’ to 16 of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, including Shinde, seeking written replies by the evening of June 27 to the complaints seeking their disqualification. The party’s national executive has authorised Uddhav Thackeray to take action against the rebel MLAs.

Recap: Sources said Centre provided ‘Y+’ category armed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security cover to 15 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs even as political crisis in Maharashtra deepened. The Centre is yet to issue an official statement on this regard.