BJP MLA says home dept has failed as ‘protector of culture’

Maharashtra MLAs criticize CM Fadnavis' home department for failing to protect culture and law, highlighting issues like illegal hotels and rising crime rates.

MUMBAI: Ruling party MLAs caught the state government off guard on Monday by sharply criticising the home department headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on several fronts, including faltering in its role as the “protector of culture”.

BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar (Credit: sudhirmungantiwar.com )

Leading the charge was BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar, who while participating in the debate on supplementary demands in state Assembly, mentioned a leading hotel chain that was renting out rooms on an hourly basis, across the state. He said the chain operated hotels around 20km from cities and towns, where regular tourists would never patronise them. Clearly, he alleged, they were aimed at a specific clientele engaging in questionable activities.

“No tourist would dare to book these hotels as they are neither convenient, nor within reach. The ‘sanskruti rakshak’ (protector of culture) government should take note of this. The hotels are operated without any permission from local bodies,” Mungantiwar said.

He also pointed to the rise in betting on cricket matches, and demanded that the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act be amended to include stricter punishment.

There was more criticism for the home department. Shiv Sena MLA from Jalna, Arjun Khotkar, slammed the state government over law and order and industrial policies. “Although chief minister Devendraji Fadnavis has been making an effort to maintain law and order, the machinery does not fall in line. The police are helpless as they have not been equipped with modern technology,” he said. “As a result, the crime rate has increased, with rampant instances of dacoity, loot and attacks on individuals.”

Khotkar added that although the state government claims to have helped bring down electricity bills for industries, the price of power has risen “and I can prove this on paper”. He remarked, “The state government has established Chandrapur as a steel hub, but the steel industry in Jalna is in bad shape.”

Opposition MLAs such as Bhaskar Jadhav, Amit Deshmukh and Rohit Pawar also took a few digs at the government¸ alleging deteriorating law and order and poor fiscal discipline of the state’s economy. Jadhav said bags full of documents had been stolen from his car at Shivaji Park 18 months ago, but the culprits are still at large.