Maharashtra Mahila Congress Demands Arrest in Shinde Case
The Maharashtra Pradesh Mahila Congress has demanded immediate action over an obscene comment made on MP Pranati Shinde's Facebook post. State Mahila Congress chief Sandhya Savalkhe criticised the pace of the police response and warned of an agitation if the accused is not arrested by evening.
Savalkhe said that after the comment came to light, the party tried to lodge a complaint. However, registering an FIR was difficult in the initial stage. She said she had deployed her lawyer on the matter for four days, but the concerned officials created hurdles in registering the case. An FIR was eventually filed after considerable effort, yet no arrest has been made.
Addressing Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Savalkhe asked whether women elected representatives can feel safe if a woman MP can be subjected to such remarks. She accused the BJP government of targeting women leaders who belong to backward classes. She said such comments against women will not be accepted and that the organisation would oppose them strongly where necessary.
The Mahila Congress chief announced that if the accused is not arrested by evening, the Maharashtra Mahila Congress will start an agitation. Her statement made clear that the party intends to keep the pressure on the state administration until the case moves forward.
Savalkhe also spoke on other matters during her remarks. On the Mumbai tree felling issue carried out by the BMC, she alleged that the ruling side intends to advance policies that would worsen pollution. She said pollution in the city has become so severe that small children start coughing when windows are opened at home. She warned that cutting trees could make conditions worse and said citizens would resist together with the Congress, with people taking to the streets if required.
She appealed to the Chief Minister to pay attention to the health concerns of residents, pointing out that alongside inflation, public health is a serious issue for families. The Mahila Congress, she said, would protest to protect the city from pollution.
On the Pune Legislative Council election, Savalkhe said that the teachers' constituency vote is regarded as a sacred process, but the BJP had failed to uphold its dignity. She raised concerns about vote theft and irregularities in the electoral process. She claimed that a BJP candidate went inside a polling station wearing the party's scarf, which she called improper conduct and an act of hooliganism. She also alleged that a machine was worshipped in earlier polls and that people entered polling areas to share information about voting activity.
Savalkhe asked the Chief Minister whether action would be taken against the candidate in question and said she would wait for the government's response.