Nagpur: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated on Monday that any insult to the Constitution will not be tolerated and urged the opposition to refrain from politicizing the recent desecration of the Constitution in Parbhani. Addressing the Assembly during the first day of the week-long winter session, he clarified that the act was committed by a mentally ill individual, and the administration has already taken action against him.
Fadnavis emphasized, “The insult to the Constitution will not be tolerated. The person responsible was mentally ill. I urge the opposition to contribute constructive suggestions to prevent such incidents instead of engaging in political disputes.”
His comments came in response to Congress legislator Nana Patole, who had raised concerns after introducing the newly appointed ministers. The opposition also highlighted the murder of a Sarpanch in Beed district, demanding that the government take decisive action against those responsible. They argued that both the Parbhani and Beed incidents were serious and warranted a firm governmental response.
Fadnavis acknowledged the gravity of the Beed and Parbhani incidents, mentioning that the murder of the young Sarpanch in Beed is being taken seriously. He noted that a police inspector has been placed on compulsory leave, and the in-charge PSI has been suspended, with three individuals already arrested. He assured that the remaining absconding suspects would be apprehended.
Earlier, Patole called for an in-depth discussion on the Parbhani and Beed incidents, but Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar stated that such a discussion would take place at a later time, as the House would first address a condolence resolution.
In the Legislative Council, Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve also raised concerns about the Beed incident, demanding the swift arrest of the three absconding suspects and a thorough investigation.
Meanwhile, on the first day of the winter session, opposition members staged a protest against the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in elections. Led by Danve, along with former Assembly opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar and other legislators from Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP), they chanted slogans such as “EVM Sarkar Hi Hi” and “EVM Hatao Lokshahi Bachao.” Danve criticized the administration for not allowing villagers from Markadwadi to conduct mock polling to protest alleged EVM tampering and misuse in the Assembly elections, while Wadettiwar called for a return to ballot voting instead of EVMs.