Deora seeks curbs on protests in South Mumbai, sparks row
Raut says ‘anti-Maratha’; Shinde steps in to clarify
3 min read
Shiv Sena MP Milind DeoraShiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora’s letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urging that large-scale protests be prohibited or relocated from South Mumbai’s “high-security, high-functioning zones” has triggered a sharp political exchange, with the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) dubbing the move “anti-Maratha” and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stepping in to clarify.
Shinde defended Deora, insisting his remarks had been misinterpreted. “He has not written against the Maratha protesters or the community. It was merely a request to the CM to have a standard operating procedure (SOP) for protests in South Mumbai and to maintain law and order as Mumbai is also the country’s business district. Unfortunately, it has been misinterpreted as if it was against Marathas or Marathi people,” Shinde said.
In his letter dated September 3, Deora said while the right to protest was an essential democratic freedom, it must be balanced with the rights of citizens to live and work without disruption. “South Mumbai is not only the heart of the state’s governance, but also its political and economic nerve centre,” he wrote.
Deora pointed out that the area houses the Maharashtra government secretariat (Mantralaya), the Vidhan Sabha, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters, the headquarters of Mumbai and Maharashtra Police, as well as the Western Naval Command. It is also home to major financial institutions, corporate headquarters and vital infrastructure on which millions of people depend every day.
“I, therefore, urge the Maharashtra government to take necessary steps to prohibit or relocate such protests away from South Mumbai’s high-security, high-functioning zones. This will ensure citizens’ rights are protected, governance remains uninterrupted, and Mumbai continues to function as the undisputed financial and political capital of India and Maharashtra, respectively,” the former Union minister said. “No capital city in the world permits its core institutions of governance, security and economy to be repeatedly crippled by protests. While peaceful demonstrations are integral to democracy, their location and scale must not undermine the functioning of government, municipal administration, security forces, or the private sector.”
The letter, which came in the wake of the five-day hunger strike by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil at Azad Maidan between August 29 and September 2, drew immediate fire from the Opposition Sena (UBT).
Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut accused the ruling faction of betraying the Marathi cause. “Amit Shah-sponsored Shinde group’s real face is out. When Marathi people gathered in Mumbai to demand their rightful dues, their discomfort became visible,” he said.
He added: “Those who talk of restricting Marathi protests have no right to use Balasaheb Thackeray’s photo. Stop using it immediately.”
You May Like
