Mumbai: Shiv Sena MLA Suhas Kande, a member of CM Eknath Shinde’s team, claimed on Friday that despite receiving a life-threat call from Naxals, Shinde was not provided with adequate security by Maharashtra’s then-CM Uddhav Thackeray.
Kande said that the minister of state (MoS) for home at the time, Shambhuraje Desai, had received a call from Varsha, the chief ministerial residence, asking him not to give added security to Shinde. Desai, too, said that Thackeray had told him that he could not give security to Shinde.
Former agriculture minister Dada Bhuse said Shinde’s security was discussed in cabinet, but he was not adequately protected.
Kande said the Naxals also moved to Mumbai and Thane to finish Shinde, and despite the intelligence report, the CM and home minister didn’t raise his security, Kande said. He was not given Z+ security.
Desai said Thackeray asked him if there was any meeting regarding increasing Shinde’s security and when he replied there was, the then chief minister “told me specifically that I couldn’t increase his security.”
The MoS for Home from the Congress at the time, Satej Patil, said ministers of state can’t take this kind of decision. “There is a committee led by the chief secretary and, on the basis of threat perception and analysis, security is being provided,” he said.
