Nagpur: CM Devendra Fadnavis told the assembly on Thursday that a conspiracy was hatched by “urban Naxals” to destabilise BJP-led govts in various states, including Maharashtra (under then CM Eknath Shinde). He said subversive groups had held a meeting in Kathmandu on Nov 15, just ahead of assembly elections, to trigger unrest in Maharashtra.
“These forces aim to undermine democratic institutions,” he said, vowing to scuttle such conspiracies. “Urban Naxals want to run a parallel state. When a drive was undertaken to flush them out, many of their leaders were neutralised, and fresh recruitments slowed down. At that time, many urban guerrillas found safe haven in cities. They started planting anarchy in young minds, particularly in the 16-26 age-group,” he said.
Delivering a marathon address in reply to legislators’ queries on the governor’s speech, Fadnavis linked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY) to radical organisations, saying 180 groups had participated, including seven identified by the Central govt as Naxal fronts in 2014. He cited a 2012 report by former home minister RR Patil, naming 48 such organisations active in Maharashtra. “Of them, 20 are from Vidarbha’s Nagpur and Chandrapur. Known to sow mistrust towards democratic systems, these groups participated in the yatra,” he said.
During the Manmohan Singh-led UPA govt, a member raised a pointed query in Lok Sabha on Feb 18, 2014, replying to which the Central govt declared seven outfits from Maharashtra as subversive. “In reply, Maharashtra sent information to the Centre on 40 such organisations. At least 13 of these outfits actively worked in Bharat Jodo Yatra,” he said.
Responding to accusations of irregularities in assembly elections, the CM dismissed claims of 74 lakh “extra votes” and presented minute-by-minute voting data to dispel doubts. He criticised the opposition’s protests against EVMs.
