BJP meets Chavan, demands that Patnaik, Patil quit

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday demanded the resignation of home minister RR Patil and Mumbai Police chief Arup Patnaik in connection with Saturday’s violence. HT reports

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday demanded the resignation of home minister RR Patil and Mumbai Police chief Arup Patnaik in connection with Saturday’s violence.

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“The chief minister said that the incident was premeditated and planned. However, the home minister seemed to be completely unaware of it and failed to prevent it,” said state BJP president Sudhir Mungantiwar. The party also said Patnaik should be suspended for failing to maintaining law and order in the city.

A delegation of BJP leaders, led by Mungantiwar, met chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday and submitted a list of five demands to him, to ensure the guilty were brought to book. The BJP also demanded a judicial probe into the incident.

Though ally Shiv Sena was not part of the delegation, it backed the BJP’s demand. “There is no law and order in the city. Both Patil and Patnaik should resign. Protesters were hurling stones in front of Patnaik, but he was helpless. It is time the president intervenes, gets the government to step down, and declares president’s rule,” said MP and party spokesperson Sanjay Raut.

The BJP alleged that a senior minister had forced the police to give the Raza Academy permission to hold a protest against the violence in Assam and Myanmar. “The government should come clean on which senior minister had forced the police grant permission for the meeting,” said Vinod Tawde, leader of opposition in the legislative council.

The party also said that the state should provide compensation to all media organisations who suffered losses during Saturday’s protests.