Fall guy or change in fortune? Fadnavis under fire over Maharashtra's lawlessness

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis faces backlash over law and order issues in Maharashtra, amid political struggles and reduced influence within the BJP

Mumbai: Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, long seen as the ruling alliance’s frontman for the assembly elections in Maharashtra, now finds himself looking at a very different deck of cards. After he was appointed chief minister in 2014, Fadnavis was the last word in the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), always leading from the front. Now, the Baba Siddique murder and a series of other breaches in law and order have Fadnavis under fire – even from his own allies.

Mumbai, India - June 29, 2023: Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis interacts during his interview at Sagar Bunglow, in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, June 29, 2023. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The Opposition has squarely cornered Fadnavis on the law and order situation and demanded his resignation. He has been attacked for delays in the Badlapur sexual assault case, the killing of the Badlapur accused in an alleged police encounter, the firing in an Ulhasnagar police station, among others lapses.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal rushed to his defence, but the NCP, an ally in the ruling Mahayuti alliance, has held Fadnavis responsible for the alleged deterioration in law and order. Even though he heads the Home Department, Fadnavis finds himself locked in a turf war with chief minister Eknath Shinde. The two senior politicians have crossed swords more than once.

People and officers close to Fadnavis called it “political interference” but the truth is the deputy chief minister has been deliberately reined in. “When he was CM, he was home minister and had full command over the police force. Crime was under control and he brought in reforms to keep law and order in check. Now, Shinde is the final authority, whether the transfer of police officers, handling of sensitive cases, especially in Thane and the Mumbai metropolitan region, the final word is the CM’s,” said a senior BJP leader.

Fadnavis is all too aware that the cards are not stacked in his favour. He confided in people close to him that he is unhappy with the “political interference” in the police force, and the way weapons licences were liberally issued in Thane and adjoining cities in the last two years. “It has empowered anti-social elements,” Fadnavis confided.

The deputy chief minister also expressed his frustration at the recent transfer of three senior police officers who were not even IPS officers. They were transferred to Mumbai from Thane in plum postings. “This was only one among many decisions that went against the recommendations of the home department,” he had said.

For two other decisions that happened at his instance, Fadnavis is blamed for ‘disturbing the hierarchy’ in the police force. The appointment of Deven Bharti as special police commissioner of Mumbai, and Rashmi Shukla as state director general of police had reportedly upset the force within.

The officer said that Fadnavis has been undermined as home minister to the point where he could not ensure a strong enough case for bail for party MLA Ganpat Gaikwad. The latter had opened fire on Mahesh Gaikwad, the Kalyan unit head of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, in Ulhasnagar in a land dispute in February. “On the other hand, Mahesh Gaikwad was not arrested despite an extortion case after he was discharged from hospital,” he pointed out.

There are many other instances where Fadnavis has been treated dismissively. “It was ensured that a case relating to the son of a bureaucrat close to him was not given due seriousness. “Fadnavis had wanted stricter action but that didn’t happen,” the officer said. “The hit-and-run cases in Pune and Worli in Mumbai saw political interference and Fadnavis could do nothing about that either.”

The power struggle between Fadnavis and Shinde has occasionally spilled into the public domain, especially after the state government launched its flagship scheme for women, the Ladki Bahin Yojana, its biggest election sop. While the scheme was launched in the chief minister’s name, Fadnavis hit back with a publicity campaign of his own. It bore the tagline ‘Devabhau’ or ‘Brother Devendra’.

Unfortunately for the deputy chief minister, he cannot seek solace in his own party. After the BJP’s poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections in the state, the party’s high command has decided to promote a collective leadership for the assembly polls, rather than have Fadnavis lead the charge, as earlier believed.

Blatantly sidestepping Fadnavis, the BJP’s central leadership has seized the reins. “The two Union ministers in charge of Maharashtra for the polls, Bhupendra Yadav and Ashwini Vaishnaw, have been holding marathon meetings in Mumbai, two to three times a week. Also, Amit Shah held meetings in five regions and Union minister Piyush Goyal and BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde is looking into affairs relating to the Assembly polls,” said a senior BJP leader. Right now, Fadnavis appears to have been silenced in all political decisions in the state.

Fadnavis finds himself in a position he never imagined he would face. A senior Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader said that when the state government led by Shinde was formed in June 2022, it was assumed that Fadnavis would be the de facto chief minister. Instead, Shinde has marched way ahead of his two deputies in the last two years.

Given how things stand, Fadnavis is wearing a brave face, perhaps his bravest ever.