A day after Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh dismissed reports of him having made any claims that a group of IPS officers in the state had attempted to overthrow the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana said that an attempt was made to keep Devendra Fadnavis’ 80-hour government alive but it was foiled.
An editorial in Saamana on Monday said that some IPS officers were working as if it was their responsibility to prove majority on the floor of the House.
Deshmukh, in an interview with a vernacular media outlet in Maharashtra, was asked about a group of IPS officers working to prevent the Uddhav Thackeray-led government from coming to power. “I do not wish to say anything publicly on this. All officers work diligently but there are some officers who can have different ideologies,” the minister said.
Following the interview, there were reports that Deshmukh had claimed that a plan to topple the government, hatched by some senior IPS officers, had been thwarted. Later, he issued a clarification stating, “This news is completely false... erroneous statements have been put into my mouth. Please see the video clip of the interview and you will realise that I had not said any such thing when I was asked to comment on whether there had been such a move planned by some IPS officers... I had only said that I cannot comment on such things openly.”
The Sena mouthpiece said that several officers thought that the Fadnavis government will return to power after the 2019 assembly polls. “It was difficult for them to accept that despite having 105 legislators the BJP could not form the government... Some officers were involved in the early morning swearing in [of Devendra Fadnavis] before the President’s rule was imposed... In a bid to remain in the CM’s good books, some police officials even tried to net legislators of smaller parties and some Independents. It is even true that the State Intelligence Department also played a role. Some officers were working as if they had taken up the responsibility of proving the majority,” the editorial said.
{{/usCountry}}The Sena mouthpiece said that several officers thought that the Fadnavis government will return to power after the 2019 assembly polls. “It was difficult for them to accept that despite having 105 legislators the BJP could not form the government... Some officers were involved in the early morning swearing in [of Devendra Fadnavis] before the President’s rule was imposed... In a bid to remain in the CM’s good books, some police officials even tried to net legislators of smaller parties and some Independents. It is even true that the State Intelligence Department also played a role. Some officers were working as if they had taken up the responsibility of proving the majority,” the editorial said.
{{/usCountry}}The editorial added that the state administration is “professional” and the “best”. “They do not have the power to make or break any government. It is not the culture of Maharashtra. If some minister thinks so that some officers are toppling the government then it sends a wrong message to people that the government is on a weak footing,” it said.
It also indirectly slammed the BJP for thinking that officers’ lobby can help them topple the MVA government. It added that keeping an eye on elements who can pass on information to the opposition and work against the government is the job of the home department.
“Some officers [who were involved] are still occupying high posts. They roam with confidence despite openly working to prevent Thackeray government from