Shinde govt scales down security of Oppn leaders

Mumbai: If political fortunes are to be decided by the level of security then Friday’s rejig was a good indicator. The Eknath Shinde government scaled down the security of several opposition leaders like state Congress chief Nana Patole and state Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Jayant Patil, while Uddhav Thackeray’s personal secretary Milind Narvekar’s security was beefed up.

While former chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan, both Congress leaders, will continue to get Y category security, the security cover of former ministers in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government including Patil, Balasaheb Thorat, Vijay Wadettiwar, Sunil Kedar, Satej Patil and Nitin Raut was scaled down. They will now have only one armed police constable as they are members of the legislative assembly.

Both Patole and Patil had Y+ category security.

The security cover for Varun Sardesai, Uddhav Thackeray’s nephew, was removed. Sardesai, secretary of Yuva Sena (Shiv Sena UBT), had two armed constables.

Narvekar, on the other hand, has been given Y+ plus category security. Y category includes up to two police personnel while Y+ category includes up to four police personnel with an escort vehicle.

“Though the protection given to the ministers is removed after the government is dissolved, the threat remains the same. The protection of our life is the responsibility of the government. My Y+ security has been removed with immediate effect,” former power minister and Congress leader Nitin Raut said.

The decision comes at a time when there is simmering tension between the Balsahebanchi Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance government and opposition parties, including Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) over the loss of investment projects to neighbouring Gujarat.

A meeting to reconsider security cover for various political leaders and other individuals was held with chief secretary Manukumar Shrivastava shortly before Diwali.

A review meeting to discuss the threat perception and consequent police security provided to political figures is held by a committee of senior state police officers every three months, a senior officer said.

“Based on the threat perception, we have decategorised most former ministers of MVA government. But we have increased security cover for Milind Narvekar, the executive assistant to Uddhav Thackeray to Y plus and he will have an escort vehicle. He was first given protection after Narayan Rane was sacked from Shiv Sena,” a second senior officer said.

There is no decrease in any security cover for Uddhav Thackeray family and Matoshree bungalow- the official residence of the Thackeray family.

There is no change in security cover for former minister Jitendra Awhad. Incidentally, both Narvekar and Awhad were part of the panel put up by NCP chief Sharad Pawar and city BJP chief Ashish Shelar for the Mumbai Cricket Association election held on October 20.

Leader of opposition in assembly Ajit Pawar and former home minister Dilip Walse Patil willl also continue to get Y+ security with escort vehicle.

“As far as the decision is based on the threat perception there should not be any objection to it. The security to Balasaheb Thorat, who is Congress’s legislative party leader and Jayant Patil who is former home minister and state unit chief of NCP should have been retained,” former minister of state for home Satej Patil, who was given Y+ security with escort, said.

“I am curious to know whether the security given to 40 rebel MLAs has been removed?” Thorat asked.

According to an MVA leader, the decategorisation of Patil’s security was taken under “political pressure”. “Former home minister Dilip Walse Patil’s security has been retained, but at the same time Jayant Patil’s security has been [scaled down] though he was a former home minister. It is assumed to be due to the political tussle between BJP and NCP leaders in western Maharashtra,” the leader who did not wish to be named said