Amid Sena's tussle with Kangana, Fadnavis reminds CM Uddhav of his anti-police remarks

On Tuesday, former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis hit back at Shiv Sena over its war of words with acclaimed actor Kangana Ranaut. Amid her comments on the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, Ranaut on August 30 stated that she is “more scared of Mumbai Police than movie mafia goons”. Subsequently, she even accused the Mumbai Police Commissioner of intimidating her. 

Condemning her remarks, Fadnavis affirmed that he did not doubt the capability of the Mumbai Police. At the same time, he admitted that political pressure is a crucial factor and reminded the Maharashtra Assembly that many MLAs had slammed the police at different points in time. To buttress his point, the Leader of Opposition recalled that Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray had allegedly remarked in a 2015 Kalyan rally that the police are capable of only washing utensils. According to him, the attack on Kangana was an attempt to shift the public discourse. 

Speaking on the floor of the Maharashtra Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis remarked, "We condemn the statement given by Kangana Ranaut. Because I worked with Mumbai and Maharashtra Police for 5 years when I was the CM. I am aware of their capability. But even if there is capability, there is political pressure sometimes."

He added, "It is true when you (ruling alliance) say that the Maharashtra Police was insulted by Kangana’s statement. But I want to remind you that there are many people in this House who have commented on the inability of the police to work properly. In fact, our honourable CM Uddhav Thackeray had said in a Kalyan rally that the police are capable of only washing utensils. This is an ideal example of shifting the discourse as per convenience."

Read: Shiv Sena Appoints Sanjay Raut As Chief Spokesperson Of Party Amid Faceoff With Kangana

Earlier on Monday, the Maharashtra CM took an indirect swipe at the Manikarnika actor. He mentioned that many persons from other parts of the country came to Maharashtra to earn their livelihood. Thereafter, Thackeray lamented that some persons are not grateful to the state despite earning their fame in the state. 

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said, "Many people from across the country come to Mumbai and Maharashtra. They earn their livelihood. They earn fame. Some people are grateful to Maharashtra and some people are not."

Read: BMC Files Caveat Against Kangana Ranaut After Actor Responds To 'stop Work' Notice

Kangana-Shiv Sena faceoff

Ranaut sparked off a controversy on September 3 by comparing Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after Sena MP Sanjay Raut asked her not to return to India's financial capital. A day later, Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik reminded Ranaut that she became successful in Mumbai. Maintaining that an insult on Mumbai would not be tolerated, he hinted that Shiv Sena's women's wing might physically harm her if she tried coming back to the city.

Moreover, he urged Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh to slap sedition charges against Ranaut and arrest her. In a shocking development, Raut refused to backtrack from his stance and used a cuss word against the Manikarnika actor. Stressing that the Sena MP does not represent the spirit of Maharashtra, Ranaut expressed shock at the use of such foul language. In her tweet, she reiterated that she would return to Mumbai on September 9. 

Read: Kangana Ranaut Says, 'please Do My Drug Test' After Maha HM Demands Probe Against Her