Shiv Sena flays state’s proposed internal security act, says it will throttle democracy

The Shiv Sena has slammed the government’s move, saying it’s worse than the Emergency imposed during the Indira Gandhi-reign in 1975.

Deciding to once again play opposition from the treasury benches, the Shiv Sena has severely criticised BJP-led Maharashtra government’s draft for an internal security Act, saying it throttles democracy and individual liberty.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party said every person has the right to personal liberty under Article 21 of the Indian constitution.(HT PHOTO)

In an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamna, the Shiv Sena has slammed the government’s move, saying it’s worse than the Emergency imposed during the Indira Gandhi-reign in 1975.

“If the plan goes through, Maharashtra will be ruled by the police instead of being governed by law. People will have to keep going to the police for permissions even for events such as weddings, naming ceremonies, lunches and dinners. People will have to seek the government’s permission even to be able to breathe freely. This is worse than the extremism of even the India Gandhi government in 1975,” the editorial reads.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party said every person has the right to personal liberty under Article 21 of the Indian constitution. “Any government that seeks to quash this has no right to play politics by installing a grand statue of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar,” the Shiv Sena said, taking a dig at the BJP’s constant references to the architect of the constitution and credit-taking for speedy clearances for his long-pending memorial at Indu Mills in Dadar.

Experts, activists and opposition parties such as the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) too have flayed some of the provisions in the proposed Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act, calling them ‘draconian’ that could turn Maharashtra into a ‘police’state. The draft legislation proposes to set up special security zones in Maharashtra’s interiors. Here, the police will be given additional powers to tackle threats of terrorism, insurgencies, communalism and caste violence.